License suspension or speed control? Lawmakers explore alternative for
reckless drivers
[April 09, 2026]
By Ben Szalinski
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois drivers who have their license suspended for
speeding or reckless driving violations could have an alternative under
legislation being considered in the Statehouse.
Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, is pushing a bill that would allow
drivers to have a speed control device installed in their car rather
than having their license suspended.
“Speeding is a chronic problem on our streets and is a threat to public
safety,” Deuter told a House committee last month. “Speeding is a factor
in nearly half of all deadly crashes. Risk of fatality increases as
speed increases.”
Under House Bill 4948, drivers who have their license suspended
following two infractions within 12 months for either reckless driving
or speeding 26 mph or more over the speed limit would qualify to apply
for a permit with the secretary of state’s office to join the program.
If approved, they’d have to pay a $30 monthly fee to have the device
installed in their car. Drivers would be required to use the device for
one year after their first suspension, two years after their second
suspension and three years after three or more suspensions.
Participants would still be subject to some prohibitions, however, such
as driving a commercial vehicle or school bus.
“We know that the primary penalty for extreme or repeat speeders, which
is license suspension or revocation, doesn’t work,” Deuter said. “Data
indicates that about 75% of the people whose licenses are suspended
continue to drive.”
The bill was approved unanimously by the committee but is still being
negotiated before getting a full vote in the chamber.
How the device works
The device is programed to know the road’s speed limit and prevents the
vehicle from driving any faster than it, no matter how hard the driver
presses the gas pedal. It’s similar to ignition interlock devices that
people convicted of drunk driving must blow in to start their car.
Drivers that shut the devices off or tamper with them could be charged
with a Class A misdemeanor.
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A LifeSafer intelligence speed assistance device installed in a
vehicle. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Ben Szalinski)
Mike Mahana, vice president of LifeSafer, a company that provides
interlock and speed control devices, said the program allows people to
continue their daily routines. He said the devices also come with an
override button that can allow drivers to temporarily go faster if
needed.
“It is configurable to let them go for a certain period of seconds over
the speed limit,” Mahana told Capitol News Illinois. “We control that by
how many miles per hour they go over the speed limit and for how long
they can use it for. It’s meant for people that need to pass a vehicle,
maybe go up a hill, passing a truck.”
Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, was among the lawmakers who participated
in LifeSafer’s demonstration of the technology outside the Statehouse on
Wednesday.
“It feels very natural and it also feels really safe,” Guzzardi told
Capitol News Illinois. “You as a driver, you don’t notice it after a
couple of minutes. You’re driving normally.”
Guzzardi said that once he hit the 30 mph speed limit on Springfield’s
streets, he didn’t notice any difference in how the car handled.
“I think this really reinforced for me that this technology works and
it’s safe and it’s easy,” he said. “If we can make drivers safer on the
road and help them avoid collateral consequences involving the criminal
justice system, I think that’s a win.”
Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C., are the only jurisdictions
that have the program, according to the National Conference of State
Legislators.
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