The lives of many Washington State civilians are lost at the hands of fatal speeding incidents and aiming to prevent or limit the fatalities, the state introducing a device for drives. Governor Bob Ferguson along with the co signatures of the people in Washington that grieve from the incidents and those merely concerned, have allowed for the implementation of the BEAM Act to put in place. This safety tool functions to pinpoint the offenders of this issue in the state and assists the community through preventable measures. With a GPS system introduced, perhaps the state may better control their roads.
What is the Purpose of the BEAM Act?
The new law, namely the BEAM Act, created to bring safety on the roads is authorized by the Washington Governor, Bob Ferguson and it’s only a matter of time until the success of the implementation is witnessed. Drivers who have been previously found guilty of a reckless driving offense or speeding their vehicle will be provided with a speed-limiting device.
Past fatalities in Washington have brought pressure for the existence of this law with incidents such as the car accident in King Country which cost four lives. The device, “intelligent speed assistance”, makes use of GPS and helps drivers to not go past the speed limit. From January 2029, the BEAM Act will be official, as there are enforcement measures to examine and implement.
Here’s how the speed-limiting devices operate
With the use of GPS, the speed-limiting devices are set to restrict the speed of the car to whatever the speed limit of the area they are in. The innovation works to slow previously speeding drive down and testing the device is the main investor of the bill, Mari Leavitt who says “If I’m in a 25-mile-per-hour residential area, and I want to go past 35 or 34 or 30, depending on how it’s set, I literally can’t do it. I can push my foot on the pedal as hard as I want to and I just can’t.”
The powerful technology leaves no room for ignoring the BEAM Act set for all Washington State drivers and makes it effective to reduce accidents. The rise of accidents on the road have been due to majority of speeding vehicles and this law aims to drop the rise with the speed-limiting device. Attempting to tamper with the device will not end well for the perpetrator.
The impact of speed driving on families and communities
Many civilians in Washington have been affected whether directly or indirectly by the speed driving accidents, with some incidents ending fatally. A popular example links to 2024 March in King County, with the death of four people by a speeding driving, including the deaths of two 12-year-old children and a 13-year-old. The person causing the devastation is identified as Chase Jones and is linked to several cases of reckless driving.
His actions did not go unpunished, as the driver was sentenced to over 17 years in prison. While the action was justified in court, the hearts of the parents continued to feel grief with Ted Smith, one of the victim’s parents supporting the BEAM Act saying, “In our situation, four lives could’ve been saved with this technology.” House Bill 1956 in the Washington State Senate has since expressed the concerns in reckless driving and a full circle reverts to this moment.
The BEAM Act seeks to prevent “ifs” and “maybe” conversations and looks to limit fatalities of this nature. Credited all those who this possible, Representative Leavitt says, “It’s the family members who got us to this day. They’re the ones who were willing to share their story over and over and over again.”
A revolutionary implementation that promotes the wellbeing of the citizens in Washington is portrayed through the BEAM Act. The multiple speed driving fatalities are soon to reduce with the speed limit control device that hinders any driver going over the speed limit. Using GPS to monitor the various limits in each space, the new law has changed how the roads will be used. Many grieving voices stand in unison for the implementation of the BEAM Act and the downfall of speeding cars taking the lives of their loved ones.
