Technology
INDEPENDENT SPEED ADAPTATION
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
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I have spent the week in the excellent Toyota Prius – but in a model fitted with Independent Speed Adaptation (ISA).
The electronics let you select two modes:
Advisory just tells you what the speed limit is and it beeps at you if you exceed it and the smiling face turns to a crying face.
Voluntary absolutely prevents you from exceeding the limit. It beeps at you and the face changes just like in advisory mode – except that this time you hit a speed wall above which the car will not go.
I was doubtful at first.
Transport for London TfL has produced a digital map of nearly all the roads within the M25 and I thought I would be content to be told what the speed limit was all the time but I was quite defensive about handing control of excess speeding to the electronics. “I am the driver” I said to myself and I do not want to hand over control to a computer.
Within half an hour I had changed my mind. It is fantastic having a helper on board to make the driving experience more enjoyable, helping you achieve even more responsible driving and, the bottom line, preventing you from picking up a speeding ticket. I like my weather responsive wind shield wipers, I like my light responsive lighting system, I loved the Prius automatic self parking system – so why not have some help on my speed control?
I realised that my initial prejudice was just that – prejudice. At the end of the week I very much regretted having to hand back the car to TfL. The technology is in the development stage but it is clearly sufficiently well developed to impress and to deliver real benefit.
Christopher Macgowan