OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill into law Monday afternoon that aims to hold repeat speeders and reckless drivers accountable by limiting how fast they can go.
House Bill 1596, also known as the BEAM Act, mandates the installation of speed-limiting devices in vehicles of individuals found guilty of dangerous driving. Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) devices would be installed for people with suspended licenses due to reckless or excessive speeding or as a condition of a court order.
“What’s behind this bill is a really simple goal, which is to save lives,” Ferguson said at Monday’s bill signing event.
The BEAM Act, sponsored by Rep. Mari Leavitt (D–University Place), honors the memory of a mother and three children who were killed in a high-speed crash near Renton in 2024.
Boyd “Buster” Brown, 12, Eloise Wilcoxson, 12, Andrea Hudson, 38, and Matilda Wilcoxson, 13, were killed when a vehicle being driven by 19-year-old Chase Jones ran a red light and crashed into their minivan going 112 mph. Jones plead guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault and was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison.
Jones had a history of speed-related crashes and had been warned by police to slow down before the crash that killed the four victims.
RELATED | ‘Dude was hauling’: Driver warned to slow down months before deadly 112 mph Renton crash
“We cannot bring back those we’ve lost, but we can take meaningful steps to stop this from happening again,” Leavitt said. “This bill sends a clear message: safety on our roads matters, and we will do everything in our power to protect our communities.”
The ISA devices use GPS technology to identify speed limits and restrict the vehicle from exceeding it. It can be installed on vehicles in a similar way to ignition interlock devices for people who are convicted of driving under the influence.
Ahead of Monday’s bill signing, family members of crash victims and lawmakers got a demonstration of the device.
“This is a great tool, but it’s just a tool in the toolbelt for judges to utilize for them to order on people who have a propensity for speeding,” said Ken Denton, a former Washington state trooper who now works as the Chief Compliance Officer of LifeSafer Ignition Interlock. “People that have shown they are not going to obey the law, they are not going to slow down. This will force them to slow down.”
