Have you ever wondered why car speedometers go as high as they do? While it’s downright funny to contemplate the family minivan ever getting up to 90 mph, no less 160, the truth is that most cars can go faster than any road in the country will allow.
There has been a rise in deadly accidents over the past few years. The sad trends in car accident injuries and deaths have led the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to take an action it has avoided until now. The NTSB is asking automakers in the US to add new technology to vehicles that will reduce speeding incidents.
Speeding Is a Persistent Problem
According to the National Safety Council, speeding was responsible for the deaths of 12,330 people in 2021. It played a role in 29% of the fatal crashes that year. And speeding has long been responsible for roughly one-third of car and truck accidents yearly.
This has remained true despite nationwide changes to speed limits, varying enforcement efforts, and other attempts to address the issue. People like to drive over the speed limit, regardless of what that limit is.
Assistance or Intrusion? How Far Is Too Far?
Many Americans have a love/hate relationship with technology. We want technology to enhance our lives, not control them. While many people will agree that speeding is a serious problem, there’s likely to be pushback on any solution that takes too much power out of drivers’ hands (and feet).
Avoiding an accident can involve slamming on the brakes. It can also involve speeding up briefly to avoid a collision. When a semi-truck starts coming into the lane you’re currently occupying, it may be safer to speed up rather than slow down to keep from getting hit.
This is the kind of decision that an experienced human driver can make better than a computer. When trying to avoid an accident, people see speed limits and lane markers as suggestions. Computers may see them as unbreakable rules.
Passive vs. Active Solutions
The NTSB discusses two types of intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology. Passive ISA technology alerts the driver with a light, sound or vibration that the vehicle is exceeding the speed limit. Active ISA technology can either make it physically more difficult to speed (imagine a resistant gas pedal) or impossible to speed by mechanically limiting how fast the car can go.
Both systems rely on other technology, including GPS trackers, speed limit databases, and cameras on the vehicle, to determine how fast a vehicle should be going.
A Dallas Car Accident Lawyer Can Help
Speeding and other forms of negligent driving cause injuries. The Fell Law Firm has extensive experience helping the victims of car accidents. Call our Dallas offices at 972-450-1418 or contact us online to schedule a consultation about your accident.
