Most drivers in US support anti-speeding technology in vehicles, survey shows

[June 12, 2024]  (Reuters) - More than 60% of the drivers in the United States would find it acceptable if their vehicle provided an audible and visual warning when they exceeded the posted speed limit, a survey by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed on Wednesday. 

New vehicles are seen at a parking lot in the Port of Richmond, at the bay of San Francisco, California June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/ file photo

The IIHS surveyed a total of 1,802 drivers to gain insight on how they would feel about intelligent speed assistance systems (ISA).

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

Over-speeding is consistently a factor in more than a quarter of U.S. traffic fatalities. In 2022, that amounted to more than 12,000 deaths, according to the report.

Yet about half of the drivers admitted to driving at least 15 mph over the limit in the past month, the report said, citing the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

CONTEXT

As of next month, the European Union will require all new vehicles to be equipped with ISA systems.

ISAs are in-vehicle technologies that use speed sign-recognition video camera and/or GPS-linked speed limit data to advise drivers of the current speed limit and warn them if they are exceeding it, according to the European Transport Safety Council.

KEY QUOTES

"With the technologies we have now, we could stop virtually all speeding and eliminate speeding tickets to boot. Instead, we seem to be going the opposite direction, with adaptive cruise control and partial automation systems that allow drivers to peg their speed at 90 mph if they want," said IIHS senior research scientist Ian Reagan.

BY THE NUMBERS

Of the total drivers surveyed, more than 80% agreed they would want a feature displaying the current speed limit.

More than 70% of all drivers also agreed that they would want an unobtrusive tone to sound when the speed limit changes.

About half said they would not mind a vehicle technology that makes the accelerator pedal harder to press or automatically restricts speed.

(Reporting by Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)

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