Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems monitor an automobile’s speed by utilizing vehicle-mounted cameras and GPS data. The technology sends audible or haptic warnings to the driver when they exceed the posted speed limit. Some systems even add pedal resistance or bypass the operator to limit the vehicle’s velocity (drivers can override all ISAs by pressing the accelerator pedal harder or simply turning off the feature).
Beginning in July, the European Union will require automakers to equip all new vehicles with ISA systems. That mandate doesn’t impact motorists in the United States — yet. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently advocated for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to adopt similar standards.
To preemptively gauge the public’s response to such regulations, IIHS Senior Research Scientist Ian Reagan conducted a survey of 1,802 drivers. The study split the respondents into three distinct groups. One considered ISAs with advisory warnings, another fielded questions for systems that manipulate the accelerator pedal, and the final group covered ISAs that restrict acceleration autonomously.
Current E.U. standards dictate that systems administer alerts when the vehicle speed matches the posted speed limit for six seconds. Should the vehicle exceed the speed limit, ISA is required to notify the driver after just 1.5 seconds. The survey participants were far more receptive to looser parameters, with 80% of the advisory-only group and the majority of the other groups calling for systems that activate once the vehicle surpasses the posted speed limit by 10 mph.
Neither the E.U. nor the IIHS has proposed ISAs for motorcycles, but automobiles often receive safety-oriented technology before their two-wheeled counterparts. That goes for everything from anti-lock braking systems (ABS) to the latest advanced driver/rider assistance systems (ADAS/ARAS). The real question (for our purposes, at least) isn’t when or if motorcycle manufacturers will adopt ISA systems, but rather, how would the motorcycling community receive them?
