RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – Speeding is one of the leading causes of Mountain State crashes and fatalities.
Virginia also has that problem.
And in July 2026, Old Dominion will become the first state to stop convicted reckless drivers by outfitting their vehicles with an Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) system, per a judge’s order.
The technology prevents dangerously high speed driving, with alerts at specific exceeded speed. Thousands of yearly road casualties could be averted.
Beckley Police Department is cracking down on speeding here.
“Any time you couple speeding with other distracted driving factors it enhances the risk of serious vehicle crashes,” said GHSP Regional Coordinator Sgt. Jamie Wilhite. “Ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to deter and prevent.”
The BPD does what it can with its protocols to make the roadways safer. But they don’t yet have the speed limiter device.
“We have the Interlock for impaired drivers convicted of DUIs and that’s a great thing. As far as the speed device, if it’s something ordered by the court and a judge, there’s going to be costs involved because they’re convicted and guilty of something,” Wilhite said. “But we’ve got to make it reasonable and fair to everybody.”
Speeding comes with hefty fines and points on your license that can lead to it being suspended or revoked. Wilhite says that’s not what they want.
“We want everybody to have a valid driver’s license to get to and from work and be a productive member of society,” the GHSP Regional Coordinator said that’s not always the case. “Unfortunately, until someone in a high power family’s affected (will determine) whether things get changed or not.”
There are many reasons why people speed: time constraints, aggressive drivers, thrill-seekers, impatient personalities, or feeling pressured to keep up with traffic flow.
“If you did the math of going from point A to point B at 40 miles an hour versus 20 miles an hour — it’s a minute, minute and a half, depending on where you’re going,” said Wilhite.
“You get on these interstates and people are going 90/95 or on the bypass doing 70/75 instead of the 45 to 55-mile-per-hour posted speed limits. It’s super dangerous.”
