DMV deputy calls intelligent speed assistance still 'in infancy'; recommends study before mandating use

Matt Russo, identified on the record as a DMV deputy commissioner, told the Senate Transportation Committee that intelligent speed-assistance devices (ISA) are in an “infancy stage” nationally and that Vermont lacks the technical and administrative infrastructure to mandate them immediately. He recommended the committee request a report to identify standards, calibration intervals, restriction codes for licenses and approaches to handle circumvention and noncompliance.

"ISA for short, is in infancy stage right now. It's being discussed nationwide," Russo said, noting only a handful of states have passed legislation and that there is very little operational data to guide Vermont policy. He compared ISA’s likely implementation and calibration requirements to the state’s prior HLR restricted-driver program and cautioned there is currently no restriction code to indicate ISA requirements on a license.

Committee members pressed for enforcement details and cited the state’s point and suspension system; the DMV replied that severe speeding convictions are rare—the agency reported 12 convictions for speeds over 100 mph in the past five years—and that statutory and administrative details (when devices would be required, how to label restrictions, and how to detect circumvention) remain unresolved.

Committee members and agency staff agreed that additional study and clearer standards are needed before ISA language is finalized, and the deputy commissioner recommended following national standard-setting bodies and the AMBA subcommittee work on ISA standards.