We know – at least in our heads – that speed kills. But it wasn’t real to me until my family experienced this firsthand. In January 2019, a speeding driver ran a red light and ripped my beautiful daughter Bethany from our family.  

Bethany had built a life she cherished. At 37, she was a dedicated public-school teacher, a dancer still creating and performing, and, most importantly, a loving wife and mother to a toddler who brought her endless joy. All of that was taken from her—and from us—by a speeding driver. Bethany was the kind of teacher students never forget, a friend whose empathy touched everyone, and a cherished daughter, wife, sister, and mother. More than five years later, our hearts still ache for the life she was robbed of and the future we all lost.

I learned after the crash that had the other driver simply obeyed the posted speed limit of 35 on a busy Chattanooga street, Bethany likely would have lived. Instead she drove 50 mph and Bethany’s life ended before she had the chance to see her son grow up.

“But everybody speeds,” I was told by a lawmaker reluctant to add speeding to behaviors the law deems reckless. And, before my daughter was taken from us by a speeding driver, I have to admit that I did, too.

Intelligent Speed Assistance technology (ISA) can help prevent crashes like this and reduce speeding by as much as 80%. We live in a world governed by the laws of physics and biology. By reducing the number of speeding vehicles on our streets, roads, and highways, we will see fewer bodies broken and fewer lives lost to traffic violence.

Around the country, local governments are taking steps to retrofit their fleets with intelligent speed assistance (ISA), an inexpensive technology that helps drivers maintain posted speed limits and drive safely. Families for Safe Streets has joined with America Walks and others to get 50 local governments to adopt ISA by 2025. As part of the federal government’s commitment to eliminate traffic deaths on our roadways, local governments should be leading the way and installing ISA in all 600,000 non-emergency federal vehicles.

Intelligent Speed Assistance is desperately needed to address the speeding crisis. European Union (EU) Automakers are required to  install the technology in vehicles. The European Transport Safety Council reports that ISA could reduce road deaths by 20% across the European Union. In the US, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) states that ISA can reduce speeding by up to 80%.  Moreover, American cities including New York City are already piloting the most effective type of ISA technology in their city fleets with tremendous results.  In January 2023, the city announced the initiative's early success with fleet vehicles staying within the set speed limits for 99% of miles driven and a 36% reduction in hard braking events. Hard braking indicates unsafe driving habits, including speeding and tailgating.

U.S. failure to use this proven safety technology results in thousands of lives lost and millions seriously injured each year. At a time when fatalities are skyrocketing on our roadways, we should be using every tool that has been proven to be effective in reducing crashes, like ISA.

Please, for Bethany and the thousands of others whose lives have been needlessly cut short, join us in urging President Biden to take action to mandate the installation of ISA technology in the federal fleet during his remaining months in office. Together, we can help prevent more tragedies and save lives.