UK drivers say yes to life changing technology

Brake, the road safety charity, is urging the government to take steps towards introducing intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) on UK roads, after a survey carried out on behalf of the charity found almost two-thirds of drivers would be willing to let the technology automatically restrict their speed.

The technology could potentially make other speed control measures unnecessary and ensure all drivers maintain the speed limits at all times, preventing thousands of needless deaths and injuries.

In the survey 32 per cent said they would be willing to have ‘mandatory ISA’ fitted to their vehicle if it was free. This automatically decreases acceleration if the driver exceeds the speed limit, and cannot be overridden.

A further 31 per cent said they would be willing to have ‘voluntary ISA’ fitted if it was free. This automatically decreases acceleration if the driver exceeds the speed limit, but can be overridden.

A further quarter (23 per cent) of drivers said they would be willing to have ‘advisory ISA’ fitted, a system which alerts them when they are over the speed limit, but does not automatically reduce speed. That leaves only one in seven (14 per cent) of drivers unwilling to make use of the technology in any form.

The survey found overwhelming support for the introduction of ‘telematics’, with 73 per cent of UK drivers say they would be likely or very likely to have telematics fitted in their vehicles, given the option.

Gary Rae, director of communications and campaigns at Brake, said: “ISA represents a game-changer for road safety, with the potential to make all other speed enforcement unnecessary and prevent nearly half the devastating deaths on our roads.

“As speed is at least an aggravating factor in almost all road crashes, this technology could make our roads much safer for everyone, and prevent thousands of senseless casualties every year if rolled out systematically. As yet, there has not been the political will to roll out ISA despite its potential. However, as these results clearly demonstrate, the willingness exists among the driving public to use ISA to make speeding on UK roads a thing of the past.”

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