ST. PAUL — When a speeding drunk driver crashed into the outside seating area of the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, killing two people and injuring a dozen others in 2024, Rep. Larry Kraft began looking for ways to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Now the St. Louis Park DFLer is sponsoring a bill that would use technology to force some drivers to slow down.
Kraft’s bill proposes implementing an intelligent speed assistance program, or ISA, installed on a repeat offender's vehicle to prohibit the person from driving above the speed limit in a given area.
“This bill is about saving lives and reducing serious injuries,” Kraft said in a meeting of the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 23. “And it comes from the very simple premise that too much speed causes too much death on our roads.”
The ISA devices work by location tracking. They can identify where the driver is and the speed limit of the roads they are on. It prevents the car from going over the speed limit.
Ian Thomas, technical assistant lead of America Walks, said intelligent speed assistance is a reliable and well-tested technology.
“It can be used as a passive signal to the driver that they are exceeding the speed limit, or it can be used in an active mode, where it literally limits the acceleration of the vehicle and maintains the vehicle at the speed limit,” Thomas said as he spoke in favor of the bill at the committee meeting.
Use of the device would depend on how many speeding offenses the driver committed and their severity.
ISA would be optional for people who have had their licenses revoked for speeding offenses under the bill. Drivers would have a restricted license while they work their way to getting their license back. Participants will have to pay costs associated with the device, which have yet to be calculated.
Three speeding offenses in 12 months would be one way to make a person eligible for ISA. Someone required to use the device who drives a vehicle not equipped with technology could face a gross misdemeanor, Kraft said.
Last legislative session, the Legislature passed a law requiring repeat driving while intoxicated offenders to use what’s called an ignition interlock system, which is basically a breathalyzer connected to their vehicle. It prevents the vehicle from starting if it detects alcohol over a certain limit.
Sarah Risser, a member of the group Families for Safe Streets, testified in favor of the ISA bill because her son, Henry, 18, was killed by a speeding driver.
“I advocate for intelligent speed assist because it helps us keep our eyes on the prize,” she said. “Preventing harm before it happens, rather than addressing harm after it's been caused and can’t be reversed.”
The committee approved the bill and sent it to the House Judiciary Committee.
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