Key points:
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Arizona motorists may soon avoid license suspension for speeding
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HB2417 allows courts to order speed-inhibiting devices on vehicles
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Motorists could reject the device and accept a license suspension
Arizona motorists facing a license suspension for excessive speeding may soon be offered an alternative that allows them to stay on the roads.
On Jan. 28, the House Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 2417 7-2 with bipartisan support. The bill would allow courts to order the Arizona Department of Transportation to install a speed-inhibiting device on a vehicle of a person who has been found guilty of certain traffic offenses, including reckless driving, aggressive driving or racing on highways.
“You also have the freedom to turn this product down,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott. “I want you to go to work. This is not about Big Brother putting a device on you.”
The Arizona Department of Transportation listed speeding as a contributing factor to about one-third of all fatalities from vehicle crashes in 2024. More than 20,000 people were injured from speeding-related accidents and an additional 417 people died in 2024, outpacing the number of alcohol-related fatalities that year.
Arizona judges can suspend a driver’s license after a single severe infraction. The speed-inhibiting device available to drivers under the bill uses GPS technology to prevent vehicles from exceeding the posted speed limits on roads.
The cost to motorists needing a speed inhibitor in their vehicle is about $4 per day, and the installation fee varies depending on the vehicle.
Some other states, including Washington, Virginia and Washington, D.C., have instituted similar legislation.
Nguyen’s bill is a returning bill from the previous legislative session, which failed on the House floor 24-30 after a handful of Republicans and Democrats voted against the measure. Nguyen said in October that he felt like the bill might’ve been rushed last year and he feels much more confident in the support he has been able to round up for it this year.
Republicans affiliated with the Arizona Freedom Caucus voted against the bill last session. Rep. Rachel Keshel, R-Tucson, said during the House’s March 11 vote that she was worried it could be amended to further restrict motorists in the future by different legislators if it was signed into law.
“I see this legislation as potentially being nanny-state legislation, which is anti-freedom,” Keshel said.
Rep. David Marshall, R-Snowflake, is also affiliated with the Freedom Caucus and expressed some hesitation about the bill during the Jan. 28 House Judiciary Committee hearing. However, he did say he was willing to work with Nguyen on the bill. Reps. Khyl Powell, R-Gilbert; and Michael Way, R-Queen Creek, voted against the measure.
Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee expressed support for the legislation.
“I would like to give the ability for individuals to get back to work,” said Rep. Lupe Contreras, D-Phoenix. “This is just one more way to reduce recidivism and incarceration. I’m a true believer in that.”
If the bill becomes law, motorists convicted of reckless driving, aggressive driving, or racing on highways could choose to install a speed inhibitor in their vehicle for the duration of their license suspension.
The bill must pass the House and the Senate before Gov. Katie Hobbs can weigh in on it.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
