The study shows that drivers of passenger vehicles use speed limiting devices

Arlington, Va. – Most drivers would accept the use of vehicle technologies intended to prevent or reduce speeding, according to the results of a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Of the more than 1,800 U.S. adult drivers surveyed, 63.8% said they would find Intelligent Assist Speed ​​Control technology acceptable. About half supported the idea of ​​an intelligent speed limiter (51.5%) or an assisted accelerator pedal (50%).

Additionally, approximately 75% of drivers said that such technology would reduce the number of speeding-related accidents. Over 80% support the function that displays the current speed limit.

“These findings are exciting because they suggest that American drivers are willing to change the way they drive to make our roads safer,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a press release. “There has always been a view that speed-limiting technology would never work in our car-centric culture.”

In the trucking industry, the speed limiter debate continues. In May 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration introduced a hotly contested rule that would require the installation of speed limiters on trucks, buses and multi-purpose passenger vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds.

Expanding on a 2016 joint proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and FMCSA, the proposed regulations currently only cover FMCSA and do not specify a maximum speed. The 2016 proposal suggested a speed limit of 60, 65 or 68 miles per hour.

FMCSA initially set a target date for publication of the second proposed rule of June 2023. The forecast was later moved to December. In February, the Department of Transportation’s significant rulemaking report identified May as the next target date, but the agency has yet to release another proposal.

The House (H.R. 3039) and Senate (S. 2671) legislation would prohibit FMCSA from requiring speed limiting devices on large trucks and buses.