California Is Getting Serious About Extreme Highway Speeding

There's a new speed enforcement effort coming to California roads and highways alongside the state's automated speed camera pilot program. This one targets drivers exceeding 100 mph, and it is harsh. The pilot program is a joint effort of the California Highway Patrol, the California State Transportation Agency, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles. It is called Forwarded Actions for Speeding Tickets (or FAST).

Intended to turn the tide against major injuries and fatalities connected to aggressive driving and excessive speeding, the FAST program will automatically forward citations for all drivers exceeding the 100 mph mark to the Driver Safety Branch of the DMV for review, regardless of their previous driving records. Based on this review of the driver's individual history and the specifics of the case, the DMV can then impose penalties, including suspending or revoking the driver's license entirely. The FAST program will operate independently of any court action.

The FAST program will operate for at least one year. After that, the California DMV will analyze the results of the pilot program by comparing data on citations and their outcomes to the same data from the previous year. This program will be led by the California Highway Patrol, which has recently added a group of 100 subtly-marked Dodge Durango SUVs with low-profile lights to its fleet. They are in darker monotone colors and are designed to allow more covert observation of speeding drivers.

Speeding is a big problem on California's roadways. In 2024 alone, the CHP issued a mind-boggling total of over 18,000 citations for exceeding 100 mph, according to a Los Angeles Times report. That's around 1,600 each month or nearly 50 every single day. According to officials, deaths from traffic accidents have been increasing for several years, but the COVID pandemic made the situation even worse. The empty freeways that resulted from many residents working from home led to a significant increase in fatalities from speeding, reckless driving, and drunk drivers with repeated offenses. 

The statistics are a stark reminder of what this trend has brought: The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) stated there were more than 14,000 major injuries and around 3,600 deaths on California roads in 2023. Three-hundred-and-thirty-six of these deaths were in Los Angeles alone, according to a 2024 Los Angeles Times report, the highest body count recorded since LA started keeping track in 2003. CalSTA has estimated that speeding is a factor in 32% of all traffic deaths across the state.

The FAST program appears to be a worthy attempt to deal with the specific drivers that could potentially do the most damage to the rest of us. By identifying those drivers caught speeding at more than 100 mph and promptly suspending or revoking their driving privileges, authorities believe that law-abiding drivers will be protected. This isn't California's only attempt to improve roadway safety; the state has also introduced a new safety bill that changes how it handles red light offenses to try to cut down on accidents and improve pedestrian safety.