A federal safety agency is recommending that car companies install speed assistance technology in all new cars.
The technology ranges from giving audio, visual, and vibration speed warnings, to limiting how fast a driver can go.
The National Transportation Safety Board made the recommendation after investigating a multi-vehicle crash in Los Angeles in 2022, involving a driver who ran through an intersection at more than 100 miles an hour.
The crash killed him and eight other people.
Russ Rader is with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which supports the recommendation.
"Excessive speed is a factor in about a quarter of U.S. crash deaths," he said. "It was one of those existing problems that got even worse during the pandemic. So if we're serious about getting crash deaths down, we need to use all of the available tools that we have. And putting speed limiters on all vehicles would be a significant and a very important step."
The safety board does not change regulations. That's the role of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Rader said NHTSA can be slow to change industry regulations, but there are many things that states can do more immediately to reduce the carnage from speeding-related crashes.
That includes more investment in education and enforcement, as well as road infrastructure changes such as roundabouts, which force vehicles to slow down at intersections.
In a statement, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers in the U.S., said "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."
