New cars have all sorts of driver monitoring tech on board that can tell when a person is paying attention or has their hands on the wheel, but the National Transportation Safety Board feels there’s a need for more. The NTSB asked 17 automakers to add anti-speeding tech to new vehicles going forward, following an extremely deadly crash in Las Vegas last year that left nine people dead.
The crash was caused by a driver traveling 103 mph in a 2018 Dodge Challenger. Five other vehicles were involved, including a minivan with seven people inside. Besides the drugs in the driver’s system, the car’s extreme speed turned it into a deadly battering ram.
Following its investigation into the crash, the NTSB asked 17 automakers, including BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, and VW, to equip new vehicles with speed-assistance features. The NTSB recommended that the vehicles have a speed warning system at a minimum, but some automakers offer more aggressive systems that make it harder and more annoying to speed.
The NTSB also asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require speed-limiting tech in new vehicles and recommended the group add testing criteria for the functions in its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The NHTSA is reviewing public comments on the topic of speed-assist tech, but the NTSB has continued pushing forward with its efforts, asking the IIHS to assess the impact of risky behaviors portrayed in vehicle marketing campaigns.
While many of us would probably rather not have more monitoring equipment in our cars, there’s no doubt that driver aids save lives. On top of that, the number of advanced safety features is set to increase as vehicles become more connected, not the other way around.
[Image: Railway FX via Shutterstock]
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