Australia Testing Vehicle Speed-Limiting Devices

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, deaths related to motor vehicle crash in New South Wales, Australia was recorded at 370. This number is considerably lower than those recorded in the previous years. New South Wales is considered as the third largest among all the cities in Australia. It also has the most people, with its residents accounting for 32% of the total Australian population. So it is not surprising that the government has taken an initiative to make the roads safer for all residents. Laws were passed to ensure that all drivers will always wear seat belts or use helmets, whichever is applicable to them. The traffic law enforcement and the designs of roads and vehicles were also improved. In addition, the government increased people’s awareness on road safety and regulations related to such.

There has been a new addition to such efforts to lower the number of motor vehicle crash-related deaths, as the government puts intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) units to a test. These units are placed on a vehicle’s dashboard and works with a computer that checks the vehicle’s speed. The device uses the global positioning system (GPS) to check the speed limit in the area where the vehicle is located. The speed limits in New South Wales have already been recorded into a GPS receiver. Whenever the vehicle goes beyond the speed limit in the area, the device would make a sound to inform the driver about it. When this warning is ignored, the device would limit the supply offuel and as a result, force the vehicle to slow down.

When the ISA units prove to be successful in preventing the occurrence of speeding in the roads of New South Wales, the government would lose around $80 million from speeding fines. Although it seems that the use of ISA units would also save the government from spending billions on any speed-related fatalities and injuries. Since the ISA units will take care of speed-related incidents, the police can now concentrate on other motor-related occurrences such as beating the red light, road rage, hit-and-run, and other related incidents. The police can also monitor any motorists who may be doing other things, like talking on phone or putting on make-up, while they are driving.