Speed Tech Reducing Unsafe Driving in NYC

A pilot program leveraging active intelligence speed assistance (ISA) in New York City (NYC) vehicles has proven successful by reducing speeding and hard breaking on the road, Mayor Eric Adams announced.

In collaboration with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), NYC launched the ISA technology to be part of the city’s Vision Zero strategy – a campaign gaining momentum across the nation to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries.

ISA technology was tested in 50 city fleet vehicles and ensured almost universal compliance with local speed laws. Vehicles utilizing ISA have driven over 133,400 miles and successfully traveled within speed limit parameters almost perfectly. Use of ISA technology also accounted for a reduction in hard braking events – which is often an indicator of unsafe driving, the city said.

NYC launched the program more than six months ago, and according to preliminary results, the ISA pilot program shows fleet vehicle operators complied with speed limits 99 percent of the time, and reduced instances of hard braking by 36 percent.

“Our administration is leading by example on street safety, and the results of the intelligent speed assistance pilot show that we can leverage technology to reduce unsafe driving behaviors,” said Adams.

“This pilot helped ensure almost all drivers with this technology in their cars complied with local speed laws — undoubtedly making our city safer,” the mayor said. “Under our administration, we have continued to re-envision our fleet management policies to ensure they are aligned with our street safety and environmental goals, while continuing to deliver the services New Yorkers both rely on and deserve.”

“This first-in-the-nation pilot should serve as a model for other states and municipalities, and one we are eager to continue in more of our fleet vehicles in the future,” the mayor said.

ISA uses a speed sign-recognition video camera or GPS-linked speed limit data to advise drivers and automatically limit the speed of the vehicle. ISA systems do not apply the brakes but instead limit engine power – preventing the vehicle from accelerating past a certain speed.

“Excessive speeding is one of the greatest safety risks,” said DCAS Deputy Commissioner Keith Kerman. “New York City is focused on reducing speeding through street re-design, enforcement, and speed cameras. DCAS is now taking the next step, leading the effort to design a vehicle that can’t and won’t speed in the first place.”

According to the city, the ISA pilot will continue through early next year. At the end of the pilot, DCAS will co-author a report with the Department of Transportation to share the results.

DCAS has also submitted requests for grant funding from the Federal government to broaden the rollout of ISA to 7,500 fleet vehicles over a span of three years. If funding is secured, the city said the expansion would mark the largest coordinated rollout of ISA technology in the world.