Intelligent speed assistance (ISA) is technology that helps keep a vehicle at or below the speed limit, and since July 1, 2026, Virginia judges can order it for drivers convicted of reckless driving. The device limits the car to the posted limit, usually for 60 days to six months, and a conviction above 100 mph (about 161 km/h) means the court must order it unless it has suspended the license. Three months in, the state reported 145 referrals and 90 devices installed.
| Topic | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Start date | July 1, 2026 |
| Reckless driving | Court may order ISA as an alternative to a suspension, for 60 days to six months |
| Above 100 mph | Court must order ISA for that period unless it has suspended the license |
| Demerit point route | Choice of a 90-day suspension or nine months of ISA, with a driver improvement clinic either way |
| What the system does | Limits the vehicle based on the applicable speed limit |
| Which vehicles | Each vehicle you own or that is registered to you, and any vehicle you drive |
| Commercial vehicles | Not permitted under this restricted license or enrollment |
| Tampering | Class 1 misdemeanor |
| Run by | Commission on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program |
What is intelligent speed assistance?
Intelligent speed assistance is a system that knows the local speed limit and acts when a vehicle goes above it. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says ISA uses either GPS linked to speed limit data or an on-board camera that reads speed limit signs. It then intervenes in real time.
What is the difference between advisory and active ISA?
Advisory ISA warns you, while active ISA physically gets in the way. IIHS describes two active approaches:
- Accelerator resistance: the pedal pushes back, so speeding is harder but still possible.
- Power limiting: the car can accelerate up to the speed limit but not over it.
Virginia's program is the active kind. Its law defines an intelligent speed assistance system as one that limits the speed at which a vehicle can travel, based on the limit where it is being driven.
Is ISA the same as cruise control?
No, cruise control holds a speed you choose, while ISA is tied to the legal limit where you are. IIHS says automakers have begun linking camera-based speed limit recognition to cruise control, so the two are moving closer together in new cars. A court-ordered Virginia device is different again, because it is a certified system installed as a condition of your license.
What does Virginia's speed limiter law do?
Virginia's law gives courts a new option between keeping a license and losing it. House Bill 2096, sponsored by Del. Patrick Hope of Arlington, passed in 2025 and took effect on July 1, 2026. The program sits in Virginia Code section 46.2-507 and is run by the Commission on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP), which already runs the state's ignition interlock program.
The driver's license is suspended and replaced with a restricted license that shows participation in the program. Virginia Lawyers Weekly describes the result as the first statewide court-ordered ISA program in the country.
Who has to install a speed limiter in Virginia?
A speed limiter can be required for drivers convicted of reckless driving, racing or a serious run of violations. In Virginia, driving 20 mph or more over the limit, or above 85 mph anywhere, counts as reckless driving, so this reaches further than many people expect. The Virginia DMV lists these routes into the program:
- Reckless driving, too fast for conditions (section 46.2-861).
- Reckless driving, exceeding the speed limit (section 46.2-862).
- Racing (section 46.2-865), where a court may order ISA in place of a suspension.
- Too many demerit points: drivers facing a 90-day suspension can choose the program instead, and they have 30 days to decide.
Is the device mandatory above 100 mph?
It is close to mandatory. For most reckless driving convictions the court may order the program, at its discretion and for good cause. If the driver was found to be going above 100 mph, section 46.2-393 says the court shall order enrollment, unless it has suspended the license instead. So a judge above that line picks one of the two, and there is no third option of doing neither.
How does a court-ordered speed limiter work?
A court-ordered speed limiter uses GPS to find the posted limit and then stops the vehicle from going faster. The Virginia DMV says the system automatically prevents the vehicle from exceeding that limit. In a demonstration reported by WTOP, the car held 25 mph on one street and 45 mph on another with the accelerator fully pressed.
Virginia Lawyers Weekly reports that the device mounts near the steering wheel, roughly where a dash-mounted GPS would sit, and shows current and maximum speed on a digital display. Under the law, a certified system must also be able to:
- Not impede the safe operation of the vehicle.
- Work accurately and reliably without supervision.
- Record each attempt to bypass, circumvent or tamper with it.
- Keep an electronic log and deliver that information to VASAP within 24 hours of collecting it.
Can you turn off or remove a speed limiter in Virginia?
No, and trying to is a crime in its own right. Tampering with a system, or trying to bypass or circumvent it, is a Class 1 misdemeanor under section 46.2-507. Reports say the device also sends a notification if it is removed or altered, and a warning label on the system spells out the rule.
Do speed limiters get the limit wrong?
They can, because they depend on the map or the sign. IIHS says the largest technical barriers are the accuracy and coverage of digital maps for GPS systems and the need for frequent signs for camera systems. Digital maps may leave out local roads or lag behind a change, and a camera system does not know the limit until it passes a sign.
How long do you keep a speed limiter in Virginia?
After a reckless driving conviction you keep it for 60 days to six months, and the court sets the exact period. That range applies under sections 46.2-861 and 46.2-862. Other routes run differently:
- Demerit point route: nine continuous months, plus a driver improvement clinic.
- Racing: Virginia Lawyers Weekly reports six months to two years, at the judge's discretion.
- Before trial: the same report says defendants may enroll early, and the court may take that into account.
What are the rules while you are in the program?
You must install a certified system on each vehicle you own or that is registered to you, and you may not drive any vehicle without one. You also can't drive a commercial motor vehicle under this restricted license or enrollment. The law says enrolled drivers pay the costs of the program, unless a court or the commission finds them indigent, and it sets up a fund to help in those cases. You choose your supplier from a list of certified systems that the commission publishes.
How many drivers have speed limiters in Virginia?
About three months after launch, the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program told WTKR News 3 that it had 145 referrals and 90 devices installed. That was in mid-October 2026. It is too early for any safety results, and the state has not published any yet that we could find.
Supporters point to ignition interlocks as a model. A Montgomery County, Maryland, police lieutenant told WTOP that repeat offending for impaired driving is significantly lower with interlocks, and he hopes these devices can reduce speeds in the same way. Whether ISA follows the same pattern is what the first years of data should show.
Which other states have speed limiter laws?
Washington, DC, and eight states now have ISA programs for serious speeding offenses, according to IIHS. DC was first, in 2024, and Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Virginia and Washington state followed. Some laws require the device for certain offenders, while others offer it as an alternative to a suspension. Camera laws are just as varied, as our guide to which states have speed cameras shows.
- Maryland: Senate Bill 366 requires a pilot program by October 1, 2027. Drivers who build up enough points for a suspension or revocation through speeding, reckless driving or racing must take part for one year.
- Washington state: a 2025 law takes effect on January 1, 2029. Its device must include an override that works no more than three times per calendar month.
- New York: Land Line reports that the 2026 state budget created a New York City pilot for drivers with 16 or more speed camera violations in a year, starting in 2027.
Will speed limiters be required on all new cars in the US?
No, there is no US requirement today, but federal safety investigators have asked for one. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require ISA as standard in all new vehicles, at a minimum as a warning when the vehicle exceeds the limit. At a Virginia event in June 2026, an NTSB board member said he hoped the agency would respond favorably.
The European Union has already moved. All new cars sold in the EU have needed ISA since July 7, 2024, according to Which?, although the driver can override a limiting system by pressing hard on the accelerator. In the US, IIHS says many manufacturers offer optional advisory systems, and a limited number of vehicles offer ISA that restricts acceleration. An IIHS survey found that more than 60% of US drivers would accept warnings, and about half would accept a system that actively slowed the vehicle.
What does Virginia's speed limiter law mean for your next drive?
For most drivers, nothing changes in the car, and that is the point. The law is aimed at people driving far above the limit, and it gives courts a way to keep them mobile while keeping everyone else safer. But the threshold is worth remembering on any Virginia road: 20 mph over the limit, or anything above 85 mph, already counts as reckless driving, and the state's highest limit on our table of interstate speed limits by state is 70 mph. Set your speed by the sign and leave a little extra time, and none of this will ever touch your day.
If you like knowing what the road holds, Ghost is a friendly way to stay on top of it. It runs in the background next to any navigation app and warns you about known fixed speed cameras and average-speed zones about 700 meters ahead, roughly 0.4 mile, and again at 250 meters, with one tone and no voice. It works on CarPlay, Android Auto and Apple Watch and covers more than 125,000 speed cameras worldwide, so you can enjoy the drive, keep your focus and arrive safely.
