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Rep. Roy, DOT and state police back higher fines, license revocations for 100+ mph drivers
Summary
House Bill 482 would raise fines and impose license revocation periods for drivers caught exceeding 100 mph. Sponsors cited a 230% increase in such incidents and DOT engineers warned highways are not designed for repeated speeds well above design thresholds.
Lawmakers heard a proposal to increase penalties for motorists who drive more than 100 miles per hour as state officials cited rising high-speed incidents and growing crash severity. Representative Roy, sponsor of House Bill 482, told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee that air-enforcement data show a 230 percent rise over six years in the number of drivers caught exceeding 100 mph.
Lieutenant Chris Storm, who commands the state police aircraft unit, said the state now observes multiple 100-plus mph apprehensions on a typical flight and described a steady increase in reckless-driving incidents. He urged stiffer penalties to deter the most dangerous drivers.
Bill Lambert, a Department of Transportation highway-safety official and former state traffic engineer, explained the engineering risks when drivers far exceed design speeds. ‘‘If that is based on the design speed and people are doing twice that design speed, the physics just don't work,’’ Lambert said, describing how curves, roadside clearance and median design assume much lower speeds and that higher speeds amplify crash severity.
The bill as presented would set minimum monetary penalties and mandatory license revocation periods for first and subsequent offenses, with a first offense fine of not less than $750 and a 90-day revocation for the first conviction, and higher fines and longer revocations for subsequent offenses. Committee members asked about use of automated enforcement and other nonpunitive controls; DOT officials said automated cameras are complex to implement statewide but remain under consideration, and DOT noted work-zone enforcement remains a priority for protecting roadside workers.
No committee vote was recorded at the hearing.
