If the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) gets its way, your car could soon warn you if you’re speeding. The federal agency recommended on Tuesday that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) require intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology on new cars that would warn a driver when the vehicle is speeding.
There are two types of ISA systems: passive and active. Passive, which is what the NTSB wants, warns the driver of the vehicle’s excessive speed above the posted limit through visual, auditory, or haptic alerts. Active systems are more intrusive, making exceeding the posted speed limit difficult but not impossible. Other active ISA systems can entirely prevent drivers from exceeding the speed limit. Specific examples of such active systems were not mentioned in the NTSB announcement.
The agency asked 17 automakers, including Toyota, General Motors, and Ford, to install passive ISAs in their new vehicles. Motor1 reached out to several, asking if they would follow the agency’s recommendation or had a comment on it. We will update this article if we receive replies.
ISAs are not new, with drivers using rudimentary systems in France as early as the 1980s, but they required the driver to set a limiter. Today, modern systems are required by law in Europe, which mandated them on new vehicles starting for the 2022 model year. The systems rely on road sign recognition cameras and databases.
The agency also recommended that NHTSA develop guidelines for states that would help them implement ISA interlock programs for repeat offenders, but not all of the NTSB’s recommendations are about Big Brother and more surveillance. It also wants the federal agency to find ways to reduce repeat speeders and recidivism. It also wants NHTSA to educate the public about the benefits of ISA systems.
The NTSB’s recommendation arrived after it investigated a deadly crash near North Las Vegas in early 2022. A speeding Dodge Challenger ran a red light and entered an intersection at 103 mph. It collided with five other vehicles, killing nine people. In 2021, the US suffered 12,330 speeding-related fatalities, according to the agency.
