National Transportation Safety Board wants anti-speeding tech in new cars

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is calling on automakers to install anti-speeding technology in all new cars and trucks following a multivehicle crash last year in suburban Las Vegas that led to nine deaths.

The independent federal agency, which is tasked with investigating the nation's accidents, issued the recommendation Tuesday at a public board meeting after determining the deadly crash was caused by excessive speeding, drug-impaired driving and Nevada's failure to hold the driver accountable despite numerous speeding citations.

The crash on Jan. 29, 2022, involved a 2018 Dodge Challenger that entered an intersection against a red traffic light at a speed of 103 mph, causing a collision with five other vehicles, including a Toyota Sienna minivan. The driver and passenger of the Challenger and all seven occupants of the Sienna died.

In its findings, the NTSB said it determined the Dodge driver's use of cocaine and phencyclidine, also known as PCP, impaired his decision-making. The driver also had a history of speeding offenses.

"This crash is the latest in a long line of tragedies we've investigated where speeding and impairment led to catastrophe, but it doesn't have to be this way," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement. "We know the key to saving lives is redundancy, which can protect all of us from human error that occurs on our roads. What we lack is the collective will to act on NTSB safety recommendations."

As a result of the investigation, the NTSB on Tuesday issued a recommendation to 17 automakers — including BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen — to install intelligent speed-assistance technology in all new vehicles that, at a minimum, warns a driver when the vehicle is speeding.

Intelligent speed-assistance technology uses a car's GPS location alongside a database of posted speed limits and its onboard cameras to ensure legal speeds are followed.

Passive systems warn a driver when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit through visual, audible or haptic alerts and rely on the driver to slow the vehicle. Active systems include certain mechanisms that make it more difficult to increase a vehicle's speed above the posted limit and those that electronically limit a vehicle's speed.

The technology is required in all vehicles sold in the European Union but has not yet been mandated in the U.S.

"We support a safe system approach to addressing speed-related crashes," the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers in the U.S., said in a statement to Automotive News.

"While vehicle technology can play a role, we've advocated for a continued emphasis on transportation policies that focus on driver education and awareness, strong laws and law enforcement, and infrastructure investment — and funding to support these safety initiatives," the trade group said.

The NTSB also wants NHTSA to require the speed-limiting technology in all new vehicles and educate the public on the benefits of the technology.

It also reiterated a recommendation for NHTSA to incentivize the technology's adoption through the New Car Assessment Program.

"NHTSA always welcomes the NTSB's input and carefully reviews it — especially when considering potential regulatory actions," an agency spokesperson said in a statement.

NHTSA last year proposed long-awaited updates to its consumer-facing vehicle evaluation program, known as NCAP, and sought comments from the public on whether anti-speeding technology should be included. The agency also sought input on consumer acceptance of the technology, whether override systems should be allowed and other means of reducing speeding.

In a letter sent Feb. 14 to Homendy, NHTSA said it was still reviewing public comments and expected to issue a final decision notice later this year.

Additionally, the NTSB wants the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to study the safety outcomes of marketing by automakers that emphasize risky driving behavior, including speeding. The study, which would be publicly available, should compare vehicles based on engine size, power and performance, the NTSB said.