A bill has been passed to install 'Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA)' in cars that physically prevent speeders from exceeding the speed limit
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Virginia will use technology to slow chronic speeders' cars—and other states are rushing to join in - Fast Company
https://www.fastcompany.com/91323835/virginia-will-use-technology-to-slow-chronic-speeders-cars-and-other-states-are-rushing-to-join-in
Speeding is a serious problem that threatens road safety, and there are many cases where unrelated vehicle occupants and pedestrians are involved and killed in accidents caused by speeders. In the United States, approximately 12,000 people will die in accidents related to speeding in 2022 alone, and 'super-speeders' who exceed the speed limit by more than 20 miles (about 32 km) will cause devastating damage.
Although police are cracking down on speeding, it is difficult to identify and catch all speeders, and even if they are caught, they are only fined or have their licenses suspended if they have not caused an accident. A study funded by the U.S. government (PDF file) also found that about 75% of people whose licenses were suspended continued to drive.
One technology that has been gaining attention is ISA, which actively prevents drivers from exceeding the speed limit. ISA combines GPS, digital maps, and sign recognition technology to identify the speed limit on the road you are driving on and takes action against the driver if they exceed that speed. It can be installed not only on cars during production, but also on cars after production.
There are several types of ISA. 'Passive' ISA only warns the driver when speeding, while 'active' ISA works on the accelerator pedal when speeding, blocking further acceleration.
In the EU, it is already mandatory for all newly registered vehicles to be equipped with ISA from July 7, 2024, but this ISA is of the 'passive' type, which notifies the driver when they are speeding.
EU makes ISA, an anti-speeding system for automobiles, mandatory - GIGAZINE
In recent years, there has been a growing momentum to make ISA mandatory in the United States, and in 2024, California Assemblyman Scott Wiener introduced a bill to make passive ISA mandatory for all new cars sold in California. The bill passed both houses of the California Assembly, but was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom and did not become law.
While Wiener's bill would apply to all new cars, another bill is being considered that would narrow the scope of application and require cars owned by people with a history of reckless speeding to be equipped with an active ISA that would physically prevent them from speeding.
In 2024, Washington DC passed the first bill in the United States to allow speeders to install active ISAs. In the spring of 2025, Virginia also passed a bill that allows judges to require speeders who exceed 100 miles per hour (about 160 km) to install ISAs.
At the time of writing, the Washington State Legislature had passed a bill to establish an ISA, and similar bills were being considered in the legislatures of Arizona, California, Georgia, Maryland, and New York.
In a politically polarized country, the ISA bill has bipartisan support. From a political perspective, focusing only on 'reckless speeding drivers' is more palatable than a blanket ISA bill that would apply to all new cars.
'Because only a small percentage of drivers are serious speeders, most residents would not be directly affected if the bill passed, and would be able to protect themselves and their loved ones from dangerous drivers. The auto industry is also less likely to oppose the bill, as it would pose fewer marketing problems than making ISA mandatory for all new cars,' the report said.
'We're not saying your car should be confiscated,' said Amy Cohen, president of Families for Safe Streets, an advocacy group for the bill, and who lost her son in a speeding accident. 'We're not saying you should drive recklessly. You have to get to your destination safely, and not kill anyone along the way.'
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in Vehicle, Posted by log1h_ik