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Apr 4, 2012 10:38 AM

New research released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety  Administration confirms the clear safety benefits of using technology to  electronically govern and limit the top speed of commercial trucks.

  “This study confirms what ATA has been saying for years:  speed kills, and one of the most effective ways to prevent hundreds—if not  thousands—of crashes on our highways is to slow all vehicles down, including  large trucks,” said Bill Graves, American Trucking Associations president and  chief executive officer. “ATA petitioned FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic  Safety Administration six years ago to mandate the use of speed limiters on all  commercial motor vehicles manufactured since 1992 to save lives and make our  industry safer. This study strengthens ATA’s case, and we call on both agencies  to swiftly move forward with rulemakings to ensure that these devices are  required on as many trucks as possible.”

  The study team, which included the American Transportation  Research Institute and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, found that  “multiple analyses indicated a profound safety benefit for trucks equipped with  an active [speed limiter].”

  Further, the study concluded that complaints from critics  of this technology were not substantiated by the data.

  “Domain research on the potential downside of speed  deviations among vehicles that could occur due to the interaction of [speed  limiter]-equipped vehicles and those without [speed limiters] seems to be far  outweighed by the significant safety benefits associated with a reduction in  absolute speed afforded by [speed limiters],” the study said.

  “Slowing down traffic is the most important step toward  improving  highway safety,” said Graves.  For this reason, ATA’s policy calls for a national 65-mph speed limit for all  vehicles, and ATA’s safety agenda calls for a speed limiter mandate.

  “The Department of Transportation should be commended for  sponsoring this comprehensive field study and, in addition to using its  findings, it should be a model for how all safety regulations are researched  and supported,” he said. “We hope in the future DOT will have the political  will to recognize that speed is the single greatest contributor to highway  crashes and prioritize its regulatory initiatives accordingly.”