Fleets are being advised not to let drivers disable new technology designed to improve safety. Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) limiters will become mandatory in new cars from this month.
The technology was proven to reduce injury on the road in a Norwegian study and the European Transport Safety Council believes ISA integration will reduce collisions by 30%.
ISA limiters alert drivers when they are above the speed limit by providing visual and audio warnings as well as haptic feedback on the accelerator pedal.
The managing director at FleetCheck, Peter Golding has said: “These systems can be overridden but the driver has to make a conscious effort to do so, and fleets should make it clear that will not be tolerated.”
FleetCheck has gone as far as recommending that disciplinary action be taken against drivers who override the technology.
He continues: “There will no doubt be some pushback about this from some drivers who feel this kind of technology is invasive or annoying, but it is difficult to argue with the positive safety impact, and ISA’s introduction is very much something that should be welcomed by fleets and relayed to drivers as a positive step that will help protect them on the road.”
According to Golding, ISA currently uses “a combination of GPS and visual reading of road signs” which can lead to errors and inaccuracies. For this reason, the technology is unlikely to be useful in effecting a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to speeding. Ultimately, the responsibility of knowing and following the rules of the road still falls on the driver.
