I will never forget the night I received the call that changed my life and shattered my family.
“Your son is in the ICU and he’s not going to make it,” they told me.
I was stunned and devastated. My son, Josh, a Seattle native, was only 27 and making a name for himself as a musician, when he was struck by an intoxicated driver traveling 100 miles per hour on a residential street.
None of us is immune to this kind of random tragedy. But we can do much more to prevent this kind of senseless loss of life.
That’s why I joined the victim’s advocacy group Families for Safe Streets and why we are backing bills across the country to stop super speeders. There are currently bills in a half dozen states that would allow the most dangerous class of drivers — drivers with multiple speed convictions, racing or reckless driving who are disproportionately responsible for causing deadly crashes — to continue driving with a special restricted license, provided their vehicle was equipped with Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA), which automatically prevents the vehicle from exceeding posted speed limits, using GPS technology.
Here in Washington State, I have joined with other grieving families to back House Bill 1596 which passed the House 84-12 and now heads to the Senate where action is needed before the session ends next month.
HB 1596 would allow drivers convicted of reckless driving, or three or more moving violations, at least one of which is excessive speed, to install and use technology that limits a motor vehicle’s speed based on the applicable speed limits, in lieu of license suspension.
Had it been implemented earlier and more widely in the U.S., these kinds of ISA rules could have saved Josh’s life. Fortunately, the idea is gaining support.
In 2024, the District of Columbia passed legislation requiring speed-limiting devices for drivers with speeding-related license suspensions. Moreover, the Virginia bill has passed the legislature and is awaiting action by Governor Youngkin. People across the country are supporting this effort and signing this petition that got nearly 12,000 signatures in just a few days.
Racing and reckless driving are on the rise in Washington State. In the last five years, drivers cited for driving in excess of 50 mph over the speed limit have risen 50 percent, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
This was the kind of crash that robbed Josh of his life in just a fraction of a second.
HB 1596 would allow these dangerous drivers to get a restricted driver’s license, which would still allow them to work and be mobile, while improving safety overall. Seventy percent of people with suspended licenses continue to drive. The bill would ensure that they would be required to drive safely.
No family should ever be missing a loved one from the table. Inaction on this problem is unbearable. I urge the Washington legislature to act now, pass HB 1596, and make our roads safer for everyone.
Families for Safe Streets is a national organization that supports parents and family members who have lost loved ones to traffic crashes or suffered life-altering injuries.
