A UK study has found that 46% of drivers in the country are turning off speed assist features that the EU recently started requiring on all vehicles sold in Europe. 

The study, completed by the UK publication Which?, found speed assist features are most often turned off by drivers. The systems use on-board cameras and road map data to tell what the speed limit is. Audible alerts are used to tell drivers they are exceeding the speed limit. Systems can also vibrate the steering wheel or automatically adjust the speed. 

“It’s often tripped up by road signs for parallel roads, unofficial signs, some digital signage, and out-of-date map data from its on-board computer,” the article says. 

An EU regulation that went into effect in July mandates all vehicles sold in Europe be equipped with intelligent speed assistance (ISA). 

Last fall, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have required ISA in all vehicles in the state starting in 2030. 

If signed, SB961 would have made California the first state to require ISA in vehicles.

“While I appreciate the intent to improve traffic safety, this bill presents several challenges,” Newsom said in a veto message. “Federal law, as implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), already regulates vehicle safety standards, and adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations that undermines this longstanding federal framework. NHTSA is also actively evaluating intelligent speed assistance systems, and imposing state-level mandates at this time risks disrupting these ongoing federal assessments.”

New York lawmakers have introduced ISA legislation in the past two years but none of the bills have received enough traction to move out of committees. 

Which? reports that drivers also turn off other ADAS features at high rates, including: 

• • Lane-keep assist — 42%
  • Automatic emergency — 34%
  • Attention/drowsiness monitoring — 32%
  • Blind-spot monitoring — 30%

“When done right, safety systems have the potential to reduce avoidable accidents,” the article says.  “The European Commission cites figures that lane-keeping systems could reduce the number of injuries from crashes caused by a car leaving its lane by 20% to 30%. But sometimes it can take just one incident for a driver to completely lose faith in their car’s safety systems. And when they lose faith, they turn the systems off.”

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