Members of the Road to Zero Coalition are urging automakers, regulators and fleet operators to promote intelligent speed assistance (ISA) and speed limiters in response to a spike in traffic deaths since 2020, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

“Speeding causes more than a quarter of all crash deaths every year, accounting for more than 12,000 lost lives in 2021,” said Jessica Cicchino, vice president of research at IIHS. “In-vehicle technologies can be an important part of the solution.”

ISA uses a camera that reads posted signs or GPS mapping software to identify the prevailing speed limit and alerts drivers when they’re going too fast, the road safety non-profit said. Some systems also discourage speeding more aggressively by reducing power to the engine once the driver crosses the limit.

For all U.S. drivers, the coalition’s Accelerating Technology Working Group recommends warning-based, or “advisory,” ISA systems as a starting point.

The systems will be required for all new vehicles in the European Union beginning in 2024, the IIHS noted.

ISA or speed limiters, which prevent the vehicle from exceeding a preset maximum speed, are recommended by the coalition for commercial operators and public fleets.

Since some organizations already use one or the other, the goal is to increase the number of fleets that embrace the safe driving technologies.

Led by the National Safety Council, the Road to Zero Coalition is committed to reducing traffic fatalities to zero by 2050.

IIHS is a member of the steering group, along with various industry associations and safety organizations.

“Echoing the recent recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board, members will also urge the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set performance standards for ISA technology that at least provides a warning when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit, require all new vehicles to be equipped with ISA, and add an ISA evaluation to the New Car Assessment Program,” the coalition added.

The working group also recommended steps to promote both technologies for high-risk groups, such as repeat speeding offenders and teen drivers. Teens are more likely than any other age group to be speeding when they are involved in a crash. Cars driven by repeat speeding offenders and teens could be equipped with aftermarket ISA systems that reduce power to the engine, the coalition suggested.

Smartphone apps and in-vehicle systems that warn drivers when they exceed a preset speed could also help curb teen speeding, the safety group added.