Governor Kathy Hochul’s legislation mandating GPS speed limiters for residents with speeding violations was not well-received in New York, where residents argued it was a ploy to control people. In a video that has since gone viral on X, Hochul stated that she was confused by the controversy surrounding the announcement, saying that anyone who has racked up 16 speeding tickets is a risk to the public. She noted that they need to protect pedestrians, and the technology was designed to limit the speed of those she considered to have “a callous disregard for human life.”
She added that they would ensure people could appeal any of their tickets. However, if the New York offenders do not install the technology after forty-five days, their licenses would be revoked. As reported by ABC7, the system would be installed in the car’s onboard computer and would limit its maximum speed.
Online Community Pushes Back Against The New Legislation
While the new legislation might be a means to curb overspeeding and a life-saving necessity, many viewed it with skepticism. The reaction to the clip ranged from criticism of the administrative laxity toward such offenders to anxiety about the technology as a start of surveillance and a violation of personal freedom. A user expressed disdain for the individuals who advocate for the technology, claiming they had too much time on their hands and need to “quit trying to control everyone else.” Another pointed out that such mechanisms had been used historically and were simply a guise to control people, masked as a protective measure. A netizen admitted that although they had no sympathy for reckless drivers, they warned that the threshold of sixteen violations was simply a start and would drop until the state enforced it on anyone it wished.
An exasperated individual criticized the New York government for enforcing such a broad remedy rather than directly penalizing people who break the law. Someone asked, “Why are we getting more and more authoritarianism, loss of privacy, loss of freedom, and loss of autonomy, while still dealing with expensive housing?” One user argued that the legislation was a typical example of over-governance, bluntly stating that any chronic offender should not be allowed behind the wheel in the first place. This angry commenter alleged that politicians were enabling the offenders by introducing the technology rather than revoking their driving privileges. Someone wondered why the threshold was set at sixteen instead of acting after just five offenses. A last user mocked the administration for trying to control everyone, sarcastically asking if they wanted to control the air as well.
While New York might have mandated technology as a safety measure, many viewers see it as a means of control.
