WA bill heads to Gov. Ferguson's desk to crack down on reckless speeding

Yahoo

24-04-2025

The Brief
The BEAM Act mandates anti-speeding technology for drivers with multiple violations to curb reckless speeding in Washington state.
Passed with bipartisan support, the bill honors victims of a fatal crash and awaits Governor Ferguson's signature, potentially taking effect by January 2029.
Longtime felony traffic prosecutor Amy Freedheim supports the bill for its potential to save lives amid rising fatal crashes involving speeding.
SEATTLE - A deadly tragedy in King County in 2024 could soon spark changes to laws in Washington state, designed to crack down on reckless speeding, increase safety on the roads and save lives.
House Bill 1596, known as the BEAM Act, passed legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill is now on its way to Governor Bob Ferguson's desk for his possible signature.
"We are in an epidemic of excessive speeding. And by excessive speeding, I mean these horrific, horrific, selfish, selfish speeds," said Amy Freedheim, chair of the felony traffic unit with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Dig deeper
According to Families for Safe Streets, House Bill 1596 would require drivers who have been convicted of reckless driving or have accumulated three or more moving violations to install anti-speeding technology, known as intelligent speed assistance (ISA), in lieu of license suspension. ISA uses GPS technology and other sensors to prevent the vehicle from exceeding posted speed limits. The technology is similar to ignition interlock devices for alcohol impairment.
"In the active mode, it prohibits your car from going more than 10 miles over whatever the speed limit is," said Freedheim.
The bill passed the State Senate in a 40–8 vote. Freedheim passionately supported the bill during testimonies in the 2025 legislative session.
"This bill will save lives," she told lawmakers during the Senate's Transportation Committee meeting.
The BEAM Act honors the lives of four people killed in a terrible crash in Fairwood on March 19, 2024. It claimed the lives of 38-year-old Andrea Hudson, 12-year-old Boyd "Buster" Brown, 12-year-old Matilda Wilcoxson and 13-year-old Eloise Wilcoxson. Hudson was picking up the group of kids from a school event when the suspect, 19-year-old Chase Jones, was traveling at 112 miles per hour.
Investigators said Jones ran a red light and hit Hudson's minivan, instantly killing the four victims and causing life-altering injuries to two of Hudson's own children.
"The fact that the week that we are sentencing Chase Jones for going 112 miles per hour, I am looking at filing additional charges for people who are still excessively speeding," said Freedheim. "This morning, I just rush-filed a double fatality case where a defendant was going 120 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour road in a tremendous crash that killed his 17-year-old brother and his uncle. There is another case on our first appearance calendar today […] it is an alcohol-impaired driver who was going 70 in a 25. When she went through a red light and killed somebody and injured somebody."
What they're saying
No one is more pleased to see the BEAM Act advance to the governor's desk than Freedheim. For more than 25 years, she has prosecuted felony traffic cases for King County. For every victim killed, she displays their pictures on the wall in her office.
"I have all different groups, all marginalized groups, majority groups, all genders. I have all ages," said Freedheim. "It's been a long time that I've been doing this, and I'm still passionate about it. And heartbreakingly, I still have people to put up on the wall. It's still happening."
Speeding has been growing even more deadly in King County and across the state. Data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission shows fatal crashes involving speeding drivers increased by nearly 40% between 2019 and 2023, with excessive speed contributing to 251 deaths in 2023 alone.
"It is a preventable crime. It is heartbreaking that it is still occurring. There's no reason for it," said Freedheim. "It affects everybody in our community. Everybody in our community is vulnerable to them."
The Governor's Office said once House Bill 1596 officially arrives at Ferguson's desk, he will have 20 days to sign it. Should it become law, it will take effect no later than January 1, 2029.
State Representative Mari Leavitt is one of the bill's sponsors. Her office explained, "The timeline is based on the agency needing time to operationalize the license, but the court will be able to impose it as sanctions right away. Further, Rep. Leavitt has been assured by the Governor's Office that they will be pushing to have the work done as quickly as possible to ensure we are saving lives."
"In this office, we already recommend speed limiter devices pretrial, and we recommend them at sentencing on our excessive speeding cases," said Freedheim.
Why you should care
It is Freedheim's hope that the potential law does save lives. It would give more purpose to the years of work she has done seeking justice for the lives lost.
"I want to remember these smiling faces. I want to remember my victims," said Freedheim. "It gives me a positive feeling to feel like they're all looking down on me saying keep going, don't add to the wall. Do what you're doing so that we don't have company."
The Source
Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Franque Thompson.
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