Over-speeding is one of the major reasons for fatal road accidents in the UAE. Worldwide, nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes every year and over-speeding is one of the fundamental reasons for these road crashes. Over-speeding was also a reason behind 2% of all fatal accidents in 2016 in the UAE. It is due to such eye-opening statistics that automakers had to come up with safety features that will protect the motorists and other people on the road.
Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) is a technology that keeps the speed of a vehicle under control and is most commonly found in new cars. This intelligent safety technology alerts the driver if the vehicle is going over the set speed limit and the more advanced ISA technology can even decrease the speed if the driver does not take any necessary actions to control the speed.
Let’s take a closer look at Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) and understand how it works and its advantages in detail.
Also read: Understanding the Lane Assist Safety Technology
What Is Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA)?
ISA or Intelligent Speed Assist is a safety feature that warns the driver in case the vehicle exceeds or is about to exceed the speed limit. In simpler words, ISA helps with enforcing speed limit in all cases and under all conditions.
Intelligent Speed Assist will automatically activate when the driver goes over the posted speed limit of the road and will give either a visual or an audible warning to the driver so that the preventive measures can be taken and speed can be reduced.
It is often the safety feature of choice for young drivers and teenagers as due to lack of experience, they can lose focus on staying within speed limit. One of the best things about ISA is that it can be installed in any car and is easily available in the UAE market. The ISA is designed to increase the pressure on the accelerator when the vehicle exceeds the set speed limit, effectively making it difficult to accelerate any further.
Also read: Safe Driving Tips for Young Drivers in the UAE
How Does Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) Work?
Intelligent Speed Assist uses input from two different sources and then cross references the information for better understanding of the speed limit for a particular section of the road. ISA works with GPS to determine the location of the vehicle and cross references the position with a digital road map that also contains the speed limit information for the specific road. Once it has the information, it analyzes the speed of the vehicle and gives a warning to the driver if it finds the vehicle going beyond the speed limit.
In case it is used as an active speed limiter in the car, it can even prevent the driver from over-speeding by decreasing the throttle signal going to the car’s computer. If it is installed with a speed limiter function, the ISA will put pressure on the accelerator which will make it increasingly difficult to over-speed and break the speed limit.
Also read: Understanding the Importance of Automatic Emergency Braking System
The Benefits of Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA)
The Intelligent Speed Assist can be useful in many situations especially when a vehicle is being driven constantly for several hours. The ISA can warn when:
- Speed limit changes because of traffic and weather conditions.
- A location has a posted speed limit.
With the ISA as an integral part of a vehicle’s safety feature, vehicles and roads can become a lot safer than before. ISA’s use can:
- Decrease the chances of road accidents, if used properly.
- Decrease accidents and collisions by 30%.
- Cut down road accident fatalities by 20%.
Also read: Adaptive Cruise Control System for Cars – Everything You Need to Know about
What Is The Difference Between Speed Alert System And ISA?
Although it is a common misconception that Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) and Speed Alert System is one and the same thing, however, in reality both of these technologies are very different.
- The Speed Alert System will only warn the driver if the vehicle goes over the speed limit defined by the driver.
- Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) will warn the driver in case of any over-speeding on any road as it reads the posted speed limit in all speed zones.
To the untrained eye, these differences might not be very significant, but ISA brings a greater level of control, accident avoidance and safety to the driver and other motorists on the road.
Intelligent Speed Assist is the Feature of Choice for Young Drivers
According to statistics released by the Deputy Director, Traffic and Patrols Directorate Abu Dhabi, 63% of accidents in the UAE in 2015 occurred because of young drivers. Over-speeding and lack of attention were among the main reasons for the accidents and this is the reason why ISA is often the safety feature of choice for young drivers and teenagers.
The ISA can be manually fitted with a speed limit that helps by increasing the pressure on the accelerator when the vehicle is exceeding the set speed limit, thus discouraging young drivers from driving above speed limits.
The Future of Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA)
Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) is still a relevantly new technology and it is in the refinement stage. Since ISA is still under development, it does not come as a standard in all the new cars, however, it is expected that it will soon become an integral part of every vehicle on the road.
Road accidents caused by over-speeding motorists is a major concern for the traffic authorities in the UAE, in fact, Dubai Police organized campaigns such as “Speed Kills” in 2016 to raise awareness about the dangers of over-speeding and the risks it poses to the safety and wellbeing of everyone on the road.
With the Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) installed in every car, the probability of dangerous road accidents caused by over-speeding will automatically reduce. But motorists must understand that there is no alternate to attentive driving on the road and safety features such as ISA should only be considered as an added support to maximize their safety while driving.
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