Intelligent Speed Adaptation: what is ISA? And why is it important to the trucking and transportation industry?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42,915 lives were lost on American roads in 2021. That’s a 10.5% increase from the year before and it represents a 16 year high. Speeding related deaths were up 5% from the year before. And we saw a 13% increase in the number of fatalities involving a large truck.

The numbers have become so concerning that the Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has declared “We face a crisis on America’s roadways that we must address together.” 

That’s a good amount of discouraging news. But, there is good news on the horizon. New and emerging speed management technology is becoming a more common. Even better, the data is bearing out tremendous results. 

There are two classes of speed management- passive technology and active technology. 

Passive technology is advisory. In other words, it simply alerts the driver through haptic, audio, or visual warnings. 

Active technology can be either voluntary or mandatory. Voluntary active technology (overridable) can be overridden by the driver. Some examples of this kind of technology would be adaptive cruise control (ACC) and automated emergency braking (AEB). On the other hand, mandatory active technology (non-overridable) cannot be overridden by the driver operator. Some examples of this would be fixed, otherwise known as top governor, or dynamic active technology. 

Dynamic ISA doesn’t just manage a top speed. Rather, using GPS technology, the dynamic ISA solution matches the allowed speed to the posted speed in real time. 

Here’s a look at the risk reduction by ISA or Active Speed Management Type: