NMAA in big-brother bout

THE National Motorists Association of Australia (NMAA) has criticised state governments for trialling Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology, which employs GPS satellites and a speed-limit database to detect speeding vehicles.

Spokesman Michael Lane said the vehicle manufacturing industry was not consulted about the trials and that any industry-wide vehicle standard to install GPS speed-detection and speed-limiting devices would have to be mandated federally, which could increase new car prices by between $700 and $2000 per vehicle.

“The NMAA believes that the massive complexity and the scope for errors in the system is far worse than in speed cameras. The suppliers of ISA technology may not be immune from liability if their devices fail or malfunction,” said Mr Lane.

“There are instances where increasing your speed may be necessary to avoid a potential accident. An example is overtaking a semi-trailer on the open highway. Having only a 10km/h speed differential means driving on the wrong side of the road for 1300 metres. And the distance on the wrong side of the road is 2000 metres for a B-Double truck. Imagine overtaking a truck, with another car behind you, and you find the accelerator pedal doesn’t work any more. It is a recipe for disaster.” Mr Lane said road safety research shows that the ISA system reduces the incidence of fatal crashes by up to eight per cent and serious injury crashes by up to six per cent, if every car on the road is fitted with it.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to concentrate resources on eliminating the causes of 92 per cent of fatalities?,” he said, citing the promotion of advanced driver training and improved road networks as more effective road safety measures.