Target Zero Manager Doug Dahl addresses ways drivers can keep from speeding

Doug Dahl
The Wise Drive

Q: Is there a device you can install in your car that gives a warning if you go over the speed limit? I think that would be helpful at reminding people not to speed.

A: I’m guessing one of two motivations here: you’d like to avoid the devices situated outside your car, in locations scattered around your community, that can result in more than a warning for speed (also known as the local police department radar guns). Or you’re trying to be a responsible driver, knowing that speed is a factor in about a third of fatal traffic crashes in Washington.

The problem here isn’t the available technology; we have an abundance of options. We could even use speed limiters to prevent speeding entirely if we had the will to do it. The tools are here, but people aren’t rushing to embrace them. To misquote the movie Field of Dreams, if you build it, it might take a long time before anyone comes.

My first encounter with a speed feedback device came from my insurance company, more than a decade ago. In order to qualify for a safe driver discount, I had to plug a device into the OBD2 port of my car. It tracked my speed, cornering, braking, and probably a few other factors. A few years later the insurance company developed an app that did the same thing, but it was on my phone, so I didn’t have to plug anything in. I got feedback from the device, but I had to go look it up later, so that’s not quite what you’re looking for.

Now many GPS devices will give a subtle warning if you exceed the speed limit. In my car, the background of the speed limit sign on the GPS display turns from white to red. Some GPS devices and apps offer alerts if you exceed the speed limit. If you want to gamify your driving experience, you could download the Safe Roads Challenge app and earn rewards for driving the speed limit and other safe behaviors.

Many new vehicles have intelligent speed assistance (ISA), which can give an audible alert if a driver exceeds the posted speed limit. ISA systems can actually do a lot more (or less) than that. Some ISA systems just provide visual indicators, like my GPS, but some can make the accelerator pedal more difficult to press or even prevent speeding above the posted limit. Although these are available, none of them are required in the US (yet).

If you wanted this for everyone, you’d have to head to Europe. In 2024 an ISA system with audible alerts became the rule for all new cars in the European Union. Last year California legislators passed a similar requirement, to take effect in 2030, but it was vetoed by the governor.

Also last year, Washington passed a bill that will require drivers who had their license suspended for reckless driving, habitual speeding, or other assorted violations to have a speed limiter installed in their vehicle before they can reinstate their driver license. We have a few years to work out the details; the law goes into effect January of 2029.

All this is a long way of saying, yes, we have plenty of technological options to remind drivers not to speed (or prevent it). But they’re not required, and I suspect that the drivers who would most benefit from an audible reminder to slow down are the least likely to choose to install one. Washington’s new law (once it kicks in) is a step in the right direction for those high-risk drivers.