New York City To Test Speed Limiting Tech on City Vehicles

Because regulating the design of cars and trucks is the purview of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), local and state governments in the United States don’t have the power to require safety features not included in federal law. But as David Zipper writes for Bloomberg CityLab, “an intriguing move in New York City suggests a possible workaround: Even if cities and states can’t regulate motor vehicle design, they still wield power over their own sizable fleets.”

A pilot program announced by New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week will install speed governors on 50 city-owned cars. As Zipper explains, “intelligent speed assistance (ISA) uses geolocation to adjust the allowable speed as the posted speed limit changes during a journey. If a driver hits the maximum threshold, the ISA system applies resistance to the accelerator and makes it more difficult (if not impossible) to go faster.”

The program, if expanded to more vehicles, could bring an added benefit by setting the tone for other drivers. “A handful of vehicles driving at the speed limit can force those behind them to follow suit, amplifying safety benefits.”

The article quotes National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, who is supportive of cities making similar efforts to install ISA in municipal fleets. “I think it would move the ball forward to get this technology in the market,” Homendy said, which could encourage automakers to make the feature available on more vehicles. As Zipper concludes, “As with seatbelts, airbags and other once-controversial safety advances, driver familiarity could make it easier for Congress and NHTSA to make them mandatory, as Europe has.”