You may not be aware of this, but the infrastructure bill that passed in 2021 includes speed regulations on all vehicles. Yes, that bill that no one reads!
We did talk about breathalyzers and how those are being installed by 2026. That will change the way you drive your vehicle in many ways. That will include eye scans, listening in your vehicle, fingertip starting and the breathalyzer.
In addition to this, the government is going to be installing devices that limit speeds. On the surface it sounds great, nobody speeds.
Right. Until you need to avoid an accident or get around a bad situation, you will not be able to accelerate faster than the posted speed limit. So, if the speed limit is 45 you cannot do 46 miles an hour.
If you’re one who never speeds, this sounds wonderful, that the roads will be safer. But in reality, it’s about control! Control of what you drive, where you drive, how you drive, what you’re doing in your vehicle and how you’re doing it. This is just more nanny-state controls.
So, what does the actual infrastructure bill state?
The National Transportation Safety Board has a new recommendation for automakers that could “force” new cars to slow down.
Federal data shows that there were more than 20,000 deaths on our roads in the first half of 2022. This new effort is predicted to save tens of thousands of lives each year.
The NTSB is calling on the federal government to start incentivizing carmakers to put smart speed limiter systems in new cars. The speed limiter program works through telematics.
Stored data on local speed limits is cross-referenced with a car’s GPS position. You may have traffic sign recognition on your navigation system if it has gauge cluster.
The software would be added to vehicles that would give drivers an alarm or simply just cut off the accelerator when you reach the speed limit.
New York City is already testing speed limiting technology in some of the city’s fleet vehicles and is lobbying that this technology goes into every new consumer vehicle.
It works exactly how you think it works: Your vehicle will not let you speed.
So, why is this a bad idea?
If your gas pedal goes dead when the vehicle reaches the posted speed limit, then you are not in control. There is a button that you will be able to press in the car to bypass the limit and go faster. But, it will only allow you to do so for 15 seconds. This is only to be used if you have an emergency and you were trying to avoid a potential accident, crime or whatever — but that’s it.
Speed-limiters will not eliminate accidents; they will just create new, stupider ones. The government thinks it can do a better job of running your life and driving your car than you can.
That should seriously concern all Americans. You are giving up your freedoms, and you may well never get them back.
Bad and distracted drivers are the real problem. A lack of driver training in this country is a real problem. Plus bad roadways, road diets (that is, the merging of a four-lane road into a three-lane road) and traffic issues are the bigger problems.
Relying on technology-dependent vehicles will createseven more incapable drivers.
Tell the NTSB about a better solution, If you want to create a more strenuous driver’s test, you will save lives. Add car control testing to the road test. That includes controlled scenarios such as skid pads, aggressive lane changes maneuvers, and threshold breaking exercises. All this will save lives. They do it today in Europe and their roads are safer. There’s your proof of concept.
Trying to remove my ability to control my own vehicle will not make me safer. It will cause people to find workarounds or not purchase new vehicles.
There is so much more to discuss on this, put your comments below and let’s start the conversation.
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Lauren Fix, The Car Coach, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, media guest, journalist, author, keynote speaker and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and safety issues for both the auto industry and consumers. Her analysis is honest and straightforward.
Lauren is the National Automotive Correspondent for Newsmax TV, a conservative news net carried in 23 countries and in over 35 million U.S. cable/satellite homes. She is also The Weather Channel and Inside Edition’s auto expert. Lauren Fix serves as a juror for the esteemed North American Car & Truck of the Year Awards (NACTOY).
Lauren is The Car Coach columnist for Parade Magazine and eBay Motors and writes a weekly column. She also appears weekly on USA Radio’s DayBreak USA.
Lauren is the president and founder of Automotive Aspects, Inc., a consulting firm with a wide range of multi-media services, including media consulting, broadcast messaging strategy, public relations and television production.
Lauren is the author of three books: most recently, Lauren Fix’s Guide To Loving Your Car with St. Martins Press, Driving Ambitions: A Complete Guide to Amateur Auto Racing, and The Performance Tire and Wheel Handbook.
Lauren’s broadcast experience includes Oprah, Live! With Regis and Kelly, The View, TODAY, 20/20, The Early Show, CNN, FOX News, FOX Business, MSNBC, HLN, TBS Makeover and a Movie, Inside Edition, ESPN, TBS, Discovery, Speed and NPR, to name a few. Lauren previously hosted four seasons of Talk 2 DIY Automotive on the Do-It-Yourself Network (DIY), was the National Automotive Correspondent for Time Warner Cable and hosted Female Driven on Lifetime TV.
Lauren’s articles and advice have appeared in USA Today, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, eBay, Woman’s World, Esquire, First for Women, InTouch and Self. She has also contributed content to Motor Trend, Truck Trend, Hot Rod, Car Craft and many other automotive publications.
Lauren is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Society of Automotive Analysts (SAA) and is an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified technician. She inherited her love of all things automotive from her father, who owned a brake remanufacturing business and worked for many U.S. manufacturers. Lauren has been fixing, restoring and racing cars since the age of ten. She has been advising drivers almost all her life.
In addition to being a leader in positive consumer awareness and the automotive industry, Lauren is often asked to speak to groups around the world about her success in marketing, motivation, entrepreneurship, parenting and other lifestyle topics.
Lauren was named the 2015 WIN Award, 2013 SEMA Business Network “Mentor of The Year”; SEMA Business Network 2012 Woman of the Year; and awarded various Car Care Council “Automotive Communications Awards” in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Past awards include 2008 Automotive Woman of The Year and 2010 Woman of Distinction – Entrepreneur winner. Lauren Fix was inducted into the National Women and Transportation Hall of Fame in 2009 – a very high honor for a hard working automotive professional.
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