A PSA about ISA

NYC recently announced a test run of new intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology in 50 municipal vehicles over the next six months. Which, if you’re anything like us, may not seem like a big deal at face value.

But ISA tech is software that makes your car obey the speed limit. And this is the first instance of its “active” implementation in the world – meaning these 50 municipal vehicles can detect when the driver isn’t obeying the speed limit, and then automatically slow the car down without the ability to be overridden. (As opposed to “passive” ISA, which can be easily overridden by a driver.)

⚙️ How it works: ISA uses a speed sign-recognition video camera and/or GPS-based speed limit data to “advise drivers of the current speed limit and automatically limit the speed of the vehicle as needed."

• According to data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, speeding was involved in nearly ⅓ of all fatal accidents over the past two decades.

👀 Looking ahead… If this initial test proves successful, NYC’s Mayor Eric Adams said the city plans to roll out the tech across its entire 30,000-vehicle fleet (excluding emergency services).

+Across the pond: Following an EU-funded test project called PROSPER, which estimated that universal ISA implementation would reduce traffic fatalities between 26% and 50% per country, the European Union officially mandated its use in new models of vehicles.