More than 270,0夺00 drivers. That is the number caught doing over 40mph in zones limited to 30. And that was just last year, 2025. It implies a specific kind of audacity, or perhaps just sheer carelessness. Police call it a “culture where speeding is acceptable.” We all know what that feels like on the road.
“We must reset expectations.”
— Chief Constable Jo Shiner, National Police Chiefs’ Council
Road safety groups are tired of waiting for behavioral changes that rarely happen. The RAC is pushing for Intervening Intelligent Speed Assistance, or IISA. Forget the standard ISA beep that so many people tune out. This isn’t a suggestion. It is an intervention. The system cuts the throttle input. The car literally refuses to go faster. You press down. The speed holds steady. End of discussion.
It’s a shift in power. From the driver’s right foot to the car’s brain.
In the EU and Northern Ireland, basic Intelligent Speed Assistance has been mandatory for new models since 2024. Great Britain is lagging slightly, though most manufacturers include the tech anyway to simplify production. But standard ISA just warns you. IISA acts. The RAC wants a trial for this tech, specifically targeting the repeat offenders who treat speed limits like gentle recommendations.
Rod Dennis from the RAC puts it plainly. Casualty targets are nice, but they need a bigger stick. He says we are desperate for a focus on the habitual speeders, the ones who put everyone at risk daily. Why? Because the data doesn’t lie. Or at least, it lies less than drivers do.
The 270,00 figure? That’s only from 34 police forces out of 45. The real number is likely higher, hidden in silence. Seven in ten forces reported catching drivers doing double the limit. Double. Think about the physics of that.
- A driver in Deeside, Wales was caught at 89mph in a 20 zone.
- Another in Aylestone hit 114mph where only 30 was allowed.
You try maintaining control at those speeds.
Ministry of Justice numbers add weight to the fear. Speeding accounts for 28% of the 800,0 taking convictions last year. A rise of 28% over ten years. And for 29% of fatal casualties in 2024, speeding was the reason people died. It was a contributing factor, sure. But let’s be honest about how often it was the real cause.
The government’s Road Safety Strategy aims to cut serious injuries by 65% by 2035, an ambitious number. They are proposing tighter penalties for drunk driving, looking at alcolocks, and updating speed camera guidance. Maybe. If the consultations hold up.
IISA feels like the natural next step. Like alcolocks but for feet that can’t stay off the gas. Does it feel paternalistic? Maybe. But does getting t-boned in a school zone feel like personal freedom?
The debate is about agency. Who is in charge, really? The person behind the wheel, or the machine built to save them? The technology exists. The data supports it. The only variable left is whether we can stomach giving up a little control to stop a little more dying.
