TABLE OF CONTENTS The concept of ISA was first brought forth in Sweden. ISA calls for vehicles to be aware of the prevailing speed limit on roads and (at minimum) provide feedback to the driver when that speed is being exceeded or (at maximum) limit the vehicle s speed to comply with the speed limit.
In early testing, speed limit data was communicated by roadside transponders. However, today s digital maps (at least for Europe and the United States) include speed limit information to various degrees; therefore the currently preferred approach is to use such maps and satellite positioning. Significant challenges remain, however, in creating an air-tight speed limit database. To this end, a prime focus of the European SpeedAlert project is to consolidate the collection, maintenance and certification of speed limit information across Europe [23].
When ISA first entered the IV scene, it was considered an outrageous idea by those who saw the driver s authority over speed as sacrosanct. At the same time, road safety experts were convinced that, if speeds were moderated, road fatalities would decrease. The concept which has gradually gained currency in Europe (and virtually nowhere else so far) is of an advisory system that provides insistent feedback to the driver when speed is being exceeded. A strong motivator for such a system has come from an unexpected source enforcement of speed limits (and speeding fines) have increased significantly over much of Europe (notably France) such that drivers are more likely to welcome a system that helps...
