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

(Reuters) – More than 60% of U.S. drivers would consider it acceptable if their vehicles provided an audible and visual warning when they exceed the posted speed limit, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety survey showed on Wednesday.

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

BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT

Speeding is consistently a factor responsible for more than a quarter of U.S. traffic deaths. In 2022, this totaled more than 12,000 deaths, according to the report.

However, about half of 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

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

ISAs are technologies installed in vehicles that use video cameras with speed sign recognition and/or GPS-linked speed limit data to inform drivers of the current speed limit and warn them if they exceed it, in accordance with the European Transport Safety Council.

KEY QUOTES

“With the technologies we have now, we could stop virtually all speeding and, on top of that, eliminate speeding tickets. Instead, we seem to be heading in the opposite direction, with adaptive cruise control and partial automation systems allowing drivers to set their speed at 90 mph. if they want,” said IIHS senior researcher Ian Reagan.

BY THE NUMBERS

Of the total drivers surveyed, more than 80% agreed that they would like to have a feature that displays the current speed limit.

More than 70% of all drivers also agreed that they would like a discreet tone to sound when the speed limit changes.

About half said they wouldn’t mind a vehicle technology that made the accelerator pedal harder to press or that automatically restricted speed.

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