All eyes on ISA: Sturdy wants drivers to slow down

In the automotive sector, intelligent speed assistance (ISA) has been responsible for plenty of headlines in 2024, with the European Union (EU) at the forefront. 

As of July, this groundbreaking technology has become mandatory for all newly registered vehicles. This bold legislation aims not only to help drivers to slow down but also to save lives. In fact, the EU aims to eradicate road fatalities completely by the middle of the century.

Meanwhile, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom has recently put the brakes on a similar bill, despite the fact that 35% of crashes in the Golden State are speed-related.

What may surprise you is that both legislative efforts were shaped in part by Sturdy Corporation, an industry-leading automotive technology company that specializes in speed-limiting solutions. 

“We helped impact those laws,” said Chip Vogt, Automotive and Marine Products Manager at Sturdy. “Collaborating closely with the European Transportation Safety Council, we served as expert panelists during The United Nations Global Road Safety Week. We’ve played a crucial role in lobbying for these changes, and none of our competitors are in the same position because they haven’t been involved from the beginning.”

Founded in 1971 in Wilmington, North Carolina, by engineer and inventor Harry Sturdy, the company’s legacy is built on his groundbreaking innovations. Sturdy held 17 U.S. and international patents for automotive technologies, one of Harry’s most notable contributions was his work on automotive cruise control.

Many of its early speed-limiting projects centered on school buses, but the company quickly expanded its reach, integrating universal speed controls into a broader range of vehicles, including rental, municipal and commercial fleets. By 2014, Sturdy had incorporated intelligent technology into its products, transforming them into stackable, fully customizable solutions. Building on this legacy of driving progress, Sturdy is now tackling a new challenge: making our roads safer.

Stepping up

At the core of Sturdy's product lineup are three key speed-limiting solutions: VMS (Vehicle Management System), SpeedIQ, and SpeedLock. The first, VMS, offers a foundational component that enables active or “fixed” speed limits along with acceleration and reverse speed control. SpeedIQ takes it a step further, incorporating a display unit with intelligent speed assistance and featuring HERE Map Data for enhanced accuracy.

“We needed the best maps in the world — so we approached HERE to get them,” said Vogt.  

According to a recent HERE survey, conducted in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), only 50% of transportation and logistics (T&L) professionals report using basic data analytics — and fewer than a quarter of all global respondents are harnessing location data.

And against a backdrop of increased consumer demand, rising costs and the pressure to curb carbon emissions, lowering fleet operating costs and improving driver safety has never been more important.

How SpeedIQ works

Using HERE Map Data as its core, Sturdy integrates its proprietary data alongside HERE’s speed limit data in regions such as North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “We’re talking about millions of road links in North America alone,” said Vogt. “Not only does HERE assign a speed limit to each one, but it also provides critical details such as road functionality, width, elevation, and highlights features like tunnels, ramps and even urban environments.

SpeedIQ is fully customizable, allowing companies to enforce a primary speed limit for their fleet while also setting secondary speed limits for specific situations — a feature particularly valuable for emergency services (the UK’s North West Ambulance Service is a notable customer).

As a driver approaches a slower speed limit, another key feature called “Forward Predict” alerts them to the upcoming change with a countdown, allowing the vehicle to decelerate gradually. This feature also operates in reverse, helping drivers ensure a smooth transition to the new legal limit.

Despite offering over-the-air updates, SpeedIQ doesn’t require constant connectivity to function after installation. “This surprises a lot of fleet managers,” said Vogt. “Today, many solutions are subscription-based and depend heavily on connectivity."

Vogt emphasized that a critical element of the SpeedIQ system is their color LCD touchscreen for visually identifying the speed limit: “When using an ISA, not being able to see the speed limit you’re being held to can be unnerving. In the US, we often fall short with speed limit signage — you might not encounter one for miles.”

The need for speed

But what about pushback? Surely, we wondered, some drivers might be less than enthusiastic to give up the freedom to drive as fast as they want.

"I’ll give you a real-world example that reflects the journey of most of our users," said Vogt. "Transport for London (TfL) has an entirely unionized workforce, and some of the drivers initially resisted the installation of our system. In the first month, we were flooded with complaints. But after some time, most drivers refused to drive vehicles without SpeedIQ equipped.

"Once they adapted, drivers realized that keeping the gas pedal floored while letting the system manage their speed made the whole experience much more relaxed — a foot-on version of cruise control."

Locking in safety

HERE speed limit data is also integrated into SpeedLock, Sturdy’s premium ISA offering that was developed in partnership with LifeSafer, one of the largest interlock providers in the US.

Ignition interlocks are breathalyzer devices installed in a vehicle's ignition system to prevent it from starting if the driver has been drinking alcohol. The device requires the driver to blow into a mouthpiece to measure their blood alcohol concentration (BAC). 

If the BAC exceeds a pre-set limit (usually 0.02% or lower), the vehicle will not start. In some cases, additional safety features are triggered, such as activating the car’s horn or flashing its lights to alert others. 

With SpeedLock, however, a driver can still start the vehicle even after failing the breath test. While this may seem counterintuitive, as Vogt explained, it allows the driver to turn on essential features like the car's heater in freezing temperatures — potentially saving lives. "But they won’t have access to the pedals, so the vehicle won’t move," he adds.

In addition to helping drivers comply with court-ordered speed monitoring, SpeedLock offers advanced features like detailed speed reports and geofencing capabilities, providing enhanced visibility and control for delivery services, transportation companies and ride-sharing fleets.

By teaming up with LifeSafer’s team of installers, SpeedIQ can also be fitted to vehicles belonging to new teenage drivers, a move that not only gives their parents peace of mind but also recently impressed the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) who are currently lobbying for tougher speed enforcement laws.

“Washington D.C. has passed and several other states are working on legislation to make intelligent speed assistance mandatory for repeat speed offenders or for individuals caught exceeding the speed limit by a significant margin,” said Vogt. “We’re on the verge of change — once one of these states passes their speed enforcement law, it will likely be adopted across various jurisdictions.”

Vogt’s passion for ISA is undeniable, so by the end of the interview, we couldn’t resist asking: does he have SpeedLock installed in his own car?

“I’ve had it since day one,” Vogt smiled. “I’ve owned several vehicles since joining Sturdy, and I truly enjoy having it installed. Right now, I’m testing a new version, and I’ve already noticed a 10% improvement in my car’s fuel economy.”