Senate committee green lights ‘super speeder’ bill

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Senate committee green lights ‘super speeder’ bill February 5, 2025

Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, testifies on the “super speeder” bill during Wednesday’s Senate Transportation Committee meeting. Senate Bill 57 would help fund Kentucky’s trauma system, among other measures A high-resolution photo can be found here

FRANKFORT — The Senate Transportation Committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would levy a new $200 fee against “super speeders” to help fund an emergency trauma network in Kentucky.

The legislation, Senate Bill 57, cleared the committee with a 7-1 vote. Under the proposal, a motorist would be considered a “super speeder” if convicted of driving more than 25 miles per hour over the speed limit on a state highway.

Fees collected from such speeders would be used to boost Kentucky’s trauma care system fund, a rural hospital preservation fund, an emergency medical technician scholarship fund, and a fund to help public schools purchase automated external defibrillators.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, said the measure is modeled after legislation in Georgia. He said the Kentucky legislature passed a bill in 2008 to establish a trauma care network, but it has never received an appropriation.

“One of my frequent complaints as a legislator here is that we never measure the cost of doing nothing, and certainly by not funding this network has cost us dearly not just in terms of lives – probably during that period we lost 85,000 lives due to trauma – average about 5,000 a year,” he said. “And if we had a network in place, probably conservatively, we could have saved at least 5,000 lives.”

Meredith said many trauma patients have had to leave Kentucky to receive treatment, and millions of Medicaid dollars have been spent in other states.

Dr. Zachary D. Warriner, a trauma surgeon at the University of Kentucky, testified he’s originally from Southeastern Kentucky, and providing appropriate trauma care for everyone in the state is paramount.

“I’m proud to be from here. I’m not proud of some of our trauma outcomes despite the fact that we’ve implemented this system in 2008,” he said. “I think that it’s startling to me that depending on where you fall or wreck your vehicle in our state, that your likelihood of survival can be dramatically altered just based on that geography.”

He said if the legislature earmarks funds adequately, there will be a dramatic impact on Kentuckians’ lives and there is data to support that.

Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, asked Meredith about the number of tickets being issued on limited access highways versus urban areas. He voted against the measure, citing the funding mechanism.

“I think we can agree that if you’re going 25 miles and over in the middle of a city, that’s dangerous, and I can see a reason for a super speeder fine,” he said. “If you’re trying to get home at 10 o’clock at night, and there’s nobody on a limited access highway at all, frankly I would just adopt Montana’s reasonable and prudent standard. And as long as you’re not being unsafe, then I don’t really think you should have to pay an additional fine.”

Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, said he’s concerned about air ambulance bills and asked if a fund or pool could be set up to help families defray the costs of services.

Meredith said the network needs to be built, but he envisions some way to address this issue.

“It’s economically killing for a lot of families,” he said of the costs. “We have to build the system first.”

Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, said he supports the bill and supports improving the trauma treatment situation in Northern Kentucky.

“Right now, there is children’s hospital, which is a Level 1 pediatric center in Cincinnati. Would love to open a hospital in Northern Kentucky, and they’re prevented by certificate of need from doing so,” he said.

Meredith said the bill could change the trajectory of health care in Kentucky for almost every citizen.

“The other option that could be available to us if this bill doesn’t pass is we have an appropriation request in the next budget cycle for $10 million. We know that’s not going to happen, so this is a way to fund this system without costing the taxpayers any additional tax burden,” he said.


News Releases are provided by the LRC Public Information Office. All photos are attributed to LRC Staff.

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#Speeders020525