HERE Technologies & SpeedFOX (Pty) partner to improve road safety with Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology
Speeding is repeatedly listed as one of the leading causes of road accidents and high fatality rates. According to IAM RoadSmart annual Safety Culture Report 43% of motorists believe it is appropriate to speed on highways, in particular.” The majority of respondents expressed their tendency to drive up to 10km/h over the speed limit.
A recent article reporting on road accidents and speeding in South Africa has highlighted that in 2020 there was a 7% increase in speeding infringements, despite an overall 2% drop in number of vehicles on the roads. This indicates an increase in the number of drivers that are exceeding speed limits, supporting a “habitual speeding culture” perception.
In an environment where drivers see no wrong in speeding, how can fleet managers and organisations ensure adherence to speed limits and improve the overall safety of motorists on our roads? The Managing Director of SpeedFOX (Pty), Lee Annamalai, explains: “The simplest solution for many organisations, is to remove the ability to overspeed by implementing Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology. ISA is an additional and new vehicle safety feature that fleet operators should give serious consideration to.”
“International Research conducted shows that a 15% reduction in vehicle speed can result in a 50 to 60% reduction in accident risk. Additionally, research compiled by SpeedFOX through actual vehicle usage shows a successful reduction of average speed limit exceedance of 16-20km/h per trip to between 3 and 5km/hr per trip when using SpeedFOX ISA technology. ISA technology has the potential to save organisations thousands in accident costs, fuel consumption and speeding fines.”
SpeedFOX is a multipoint speed limiter that autonomously keeps vehicles to every posted speed limit by controlling the accelerator signals sent to the engine management system. “It uses on-board map data to make real-time decisions on appropriate speeds. Fleet operators can also set their own speed limits for particular road conditions such as gravel roads, provided they are below the legally posted speeds,” says Annamalai.
HERE Technologies and SpeedFOX have partnered to make use of the HERE ISA Map includes the following attributes:
- Road network and selected road attributes to support electronic horizon software
- Speed limits for public roads worldwide
- Explicit speed limits visible on road signs as well as implicit speed limits derived from road signs without numerical values, with adjustments for variable conditions such as time and weather and
- Speed limits that are defined by road rules and regulations, including national, or regional, speed limits and conditional rules. As conditional rules limits are typically not sign-posted, they are not detectable by onboard cameras.
These maps are housed on a specially developed edge computing device developed by SpeedFOX (Pty) and fitted within the vehicle. SpeedFOX uses the speed limit data to provide real-time speed input to the vehicle without the need for an internet connection.
“SpeedFOX is the first of our African partners to introduce an ISA feature – which is certainly becoming mandatory in the EU but not in Africa yet – to its solutions. It speaks for SpeedFOX’s innovative and forward-thinking spirit. Together, we look forward to increasing road safety, reducing costs for fleet owners and improving air quality,” said Knuth Sexauer, Vice President Automotive at HERE Technologies.
Lee Annamalai had the following to say about the potential of SpeedFOX partnering with HERE Technologies:
“Working with the HERE team has enabled us to bring this South African innovation to market. HERE Technologies speed limit data accuracy and dynamic map content was a critical design choice for the SpeedFOX product development. HERE Technologies deliver ISA solutions to 8 of the biggest automotive OEMs in the EU and are supporting the introduction of SpeedFOX to international partners as well.”
For more information on SpeedFOX please contact info@speedfox-isa.com
Media Contacts
HERE Technologies
Adrianne Montgobert
+49 171 1234567
About HERE Technologies
HERE, the leading location data and technology platform, moves people, businesses and cities forward by harnessing the power of location. By leveraging our open platform, we empower our customers to achieve better outcomes – from helping a city manage its infrastructure or a business optimize its assets to guiding drivers to their destination safely. To learn more about HERE, please visit https://www.here.com und https://360.here.com