(Reuters) – More than 60% of drivers in the United States would find it acceptable if their vehicle provided audible and visual warnings when exceeding the posted speed limit, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found on Wednesday.
The IIHS surveyed a total of 1,802 drivers to find out how they felt about Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) systems.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
Speeding consistently accounts for more than a quarter of traffic accidents in the United States. That number was more than 12,000 deaths in 2022, according to the report.
However, about half of drivers admitted to driving at least 15 mph over the speed limit in the past month, the report said, citing the AAA Foundation for Highway Safety.
CONTEXT
From next month, the European Union will require all new cars to be equipped with ISA systems.
According to the European Transport Safety Board, ISAs are in-vehicle technologies that use video camera recognition of speed signs and/or speed limit data linked to GPS to inform drivers of the current speed limit and warn them if they exceed it.
KEY QUOTES
“With the technology we have now, we could stop almost all speeding and eliminate speeding tickets. “Instead, we seem to be going in the opposite direction, using adaptive cruise control and semi-automation systems that allow drivers to lock their speed at 90 mph.” if they want to,” said IIHS senior scientist Ian Reagan.
IN NUMBERS
Of the total number of drivers surveyed, more than 80% agreed that they would like a feature that displays the current speed limit.
More than 70% of all drivers also agreed that they would like a discreet horn to sound when the speed limit changes.
About half said they wouldn’t mind car technology that makes it harder to press the accelerator pedal or automatically limits speed.