Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA)

Publication date: 07 June 2010

In 2000, the European Union set an ambitious target to halve the number of fatal accidents by year 2010. Many European countries adopted plans and took actions towards fulfilling this goal. One of the actions is further development of intelligent transport systems. The Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) also known as intelligent speed assistance tested in the so-called field operation tests (FOTs) is one of them.

The system is very useful for motorists when driving in a foreign country not being aware of speed limits but the system is also very helpful in own country when passing through different speed zones. Sometimes, there are areas with speed zones imposed only temporary or for a certain period of a day, for instance in the school zones or by road works. The system monitors the vehicle speed and the local speed limit on a road and launches an action if the speed limit is exceeded. This ‘action’ can be a visual display or auditory warning as well as resistance in accelerator pedal.

Another practical use of ISA is to record the overall driving performance related to speed and give a periodical feedback to people concerned. It can be a driver, but also an employer – for assurance purposes or a fleet management. As noted in Finnish FOT, such persons can be also parents checking driving behavior of their children. As the main characteristic of such a type of ISA is to record data, one refers to so-called ‘Recording ISA’. Another possibility of using Intelligent Speed Adaptation is a total prevention of speeding without possibility to override the system called ‘Mandatory ISA’.

The main objective of FOTs was the analysis of drivers’ behavior and acceptance while using ISA. The data collected during the tests are valuable source of information covering many areas including traffic flow and traffic environment. This has an impact on mobility of people across Europe. However, there are still technical and legislative obstacles with regard to implementing most of the ISA systems. Drivers rated certain traffic environments, particularly those where it was easier to speed, as being more risky with ISA. Another concern represented overtaking while using ISA.

“Motorists can benefit from information provided by intelligent speed assistance coping thus with different speed limits in home country as well as abroad” said Wil Botman, Director General of FIA European Bureau. “Road safety policy should include intelligent transport systems and these have to be deployed to the benefit of consumers. An essential part of this development is to raise awareness and provide more information.”

The Intelligent Speed Adaptation gives still much room for improvement. An interesting and important system to be developed for motorists can be a reliable system evaluating an appropriate speed taking into consideration the ongoing traffic and weather conditions. In addition, there is also significant need to improve speed maps across Europe.


For more information on FOT-Net project visit: http://www.fot-net.eu/