'Intelligent Speed Adaptation' Trial - Views of a Volunteer

You might have heard how Intelligent Speed Adaptation or ISA, which is a GPS 'black box' speed limiter which knows where you are, will make cars 'safer'and reduce injury accidents by 29%, despite the fact that 'exceeding the speed limit' has never been demonstrated to be a big or the biggest factor in accidents.

Indeed, 'inapproriate speed for the prevailing road conditions, UNDER the posted limit' is a much bigger factor according to the DfT's own data - a factor that can't be tackled by ISA and indeed may be made worse due to 'foot to the floor driving' safe in the knowledge that the speed limit can't be exceeded. Of course another related issue is the fact that many speed limits have been lowered beyond what even the police consider reasonable. Anyway, below is an account of a participant in the 6month ISA trials:


I had one of these cars on test for 6 months; I was one of the volunteer drivers. I signed an agreement not to contact the media, I don't know if it still applies.

I had a couple of speeding fines and after that, I stuck rigidly to the speed limits. Of course, this means looking at the speedometer much more than is advisable etc, thereby not looking so much through the windscreen.

When I heard about this trial, I thought that it would be a brilliant idea, I could drive without looking at my speedometer and remain within the law. The first month of the 6 month trial was to have the system in monitor mode only. Incidentally, whenever you switch off the engine, it transmits its position and any other data, via the mobile phone GPRS Network, to the MIRA or Leeds University, thereby being a good security device, in the case of it being stolen. You should always get it back. If the government gets this system into your car, they won't need any cameras to see that you have over-rode the system and broken the speed limit, your car will tell them.

The car had a slightly thicker aerial on the back to act as the GPS receiver and under the floor in a compartment, quite a big computer.

The car was a Manual Gearbox, and did not have cruise control or satellite navigation, which was a surprise to me. It had a few dashboard modifications. A speed limit display and a couple of lights and buttons on the steering wheel, plus a total override switch on the dashboard, to switch if off completely.

I couldn't wait to get the system switched on. However, unless it has been considerably improved since my trial, it was not what I expected.

The computer controlled the throttle and the brakes. It did it by access to a Digital Map, supplied by the county council, I believe, who obviously thought that if they got within 20 or so yards of the speed limit signs, that was OK, so suddenly, you brake in front of the car behind, well in advance of the speed limit signs. I got a lot of rude gestures from other drivers. Normally, I keep myself to myself and avoid any conflicts. Worse still, was that if I was already braking for the speed limit and the system tried to brake as well, the car slowed very quickly, must be some hydraulic valve somewhere that got opened by twice as much or something.

Other problems were that the computer would suddenly, without warning reboot itself and cut all power to the engine other than tick over speed, this happened on a roundabout once and someone nearly went into the back.

If you override the system, either by pressing the accelerator to the floor or by pressing the opt out button on the steering wheel, it only overrides until either you slow down enough to be within the speed limit, or, really bad, this one, until you pass into a different limit. I was on a dual carriageway which was coming to an end and I wanted to overtake a lorry. I pressed the opt out button and went above the 70 limit, as I pulled in front of the lorry, the limit changed to 60 and the car put the brakes on. Rude gestures again. I got so fed up with it, I considered pulling out of the trial, but I am not one to give up, so I stayed with it for the full 6 months. I was thinking of changing my own car and thought that I could sell it and use this car for 6 months and then buy a new one. In the event, stored my own car for 6 months and still have it now. I was so glad to get back into it after the trial ended. The ISA car was delightful when the system was switched off, not as good as my own car, but still very nice. Two guys from MIRA came out to see the car but said they couldn't reproduce any of the problems.


I had to fill in monthly questionnaires, and attend meetings and rallies. I started positively but after a few months, I slated the system in every survey and called it dangerous. Another thing it did was to lift off the throttle on fast corners, not recommended. The system is only as good as its digital map and some roads even had the wrong speed limit, like one I used almost everyday which is a 50 limit but the car said 60 and would have allowed me to go at 60.

Another problem is that when you reach the maximum speed limit, say 30MPH and do not lift off the accelerator, it isn't a nice smooth speed, like a cruise control, the engine is constantly let to go up a bit and then slowed down a bit, it is like when engines used to hunt, so to be comfortable, you couldn't drive it at the maximum, it makes you feel sick and I don't know what it would do to the fuel consumption, being off and on the gas like that.

At some of the rallies, a lot of the drivers were just so pleased at having a free car for 6 months, they would not criticise it.

At the end of the day, anything which takes control away from the driver is a bad thing. It will eventually lead to an accident. It nearly lead to several with me and I am glad that the only road rage was hooters and gestures, I felt that someone was going to get out of the car and remonstrate after some inadvisable braking.

What this system would be good as is as an advisory system, to bleep when the speed limit is being broken. You could not complain about being done for speeding, if you ignored it, could you.

I got to be a test driver by answering an advert. Nothing else changed apart from my using the ISA car instead of my own for my travel, and at the end, I just went back to my old car. The reward was a free car for 6 months, I just had to pay for the petrol. The only way you can tell one of these cars from another is the sticker in the back THIS CAR OBEYS THE SPEED LIMIT, the slightly thicker aerial base and if you look inside, a few extra buttons. People need to be aware of these cars, there needs to be some kind of warning on them that they may behave in ways that a normal driver, in the car behind, would not expect.

Like you get warnings, No Hand Signals etc They didn't make them obvious as they didn't want someone breaking in to get the computer from them.

Obviously, if the system is incorporated into normal cars, the computer will be extremely small, not the big computer that was in these cars, about the size of a desktop PC, then it won't be a problem that someone may want to steal the components The Skoda was chosen because of the fact that it had throttle control by wire and a compartment under the boot floor.


Comment - all these adverse effects are entirely logical and predictable, and have indeed been predicted by opponents of this insane idea.

Note also the volunteers' built-in tendency not to look a gift horse in the mouth, though this did not stop the one truck driver on the experiment being vehemently critical.

A38 - Birmingham Big City Plan Consultation

I registered for this consultation as the representative of the ABD - others in the Birmingham area, or elsewhere, might want to register as individuals. Hurry up though - the consultation closes on 6th February 2009:

http://bigcityplan.birmingham.gov.uk/big-city-plan.php

Now the A38 is regarded as an obstacle to pedestrians and cyclists! This could be quite serious from a drivers' point of view - restructuring the A38 could be a nightmare:

4.2.1 Traffic congestion is currently related primarily to key junctions on the Ring Road, while the A38 corridor also continues to experience high levels of traffic demand. The main areas of congestion in the centre are at the junctions of Holloway Circus, Paradise Circus, St Chads, around the gyratory systems at Bull Ring/Moat Lane and at Masshouse. While access by car is and will remain vital for the success and vitality of the city centre, reducing traffic levels will be necessary if carbon emissions targets are to be met, while reduced congestion will also benefit the city. Improving the quality of alternatives to the car will clearly be essential (see later sections). The negative impacts of the physical traffic and highway infrastructure on the development and overall attractiveness of the city centre must also be addressed.

4.2.2 The A38 corridor within the city centre could be radically reconfigured to greatly enhance the city centre environment and improve pedestrian/cycle crossing links between the core and the rest of the city centre. Comprehensive restructuring would enable areas to the west of the corridor to fulfil their full potential as integral parts of the city centre. Lowering Great Charles Street, dismantling the Suffolk Street viaduct or changing its slip road arrangements and filling in the Holloway Circus underpass are all major engineering projects that could be pursued. The road would still retain an important traffic carrying function. However, depending on the extent of the changes to the road infrastructure, capacity could be reduced and this could have an effect on congestion, so any proposals would require modelling to establish the impact on accessibility and design.

Traffic flows into and out of the city centre have been falling gradually over the past decade, and the City Council wants to continue this trend. However, new development within the centre, as envisaged by the Big City Plan, will lead to the generation of new car trips and therefore current levels of congestion are expected to increase unless a range of appropriate action is taken. Highway capacity increases in key locations may be necessary as a result of the increase in the total number of trips related to new development. Such infrastructure changes should be designed to keep as much traffic as possible on the main roads and out of the most sensitive city centre environments.