Purpose of this Site
The purpose of this site is to catalyze the exploration of an idea about incorporating speed limit warnings into automotive GPS units by providing a forum in which all affected parties can clearly voice their needs. There is an attached Wiki which also includes a message board. This page contains a brief summary of the various needs.
Consider that in 2006 there were over 13,000 lives that were lost on US roadways in which excessive speed was involved. In addition to all the lost lives, the financial costs of those accidents are estimated to be approximately $40,000,000,000 annually in the United States according to the NHTSA 2006 Data on Speeding (PDF ). That works out to be over $76,000 per minute.
What if the GPS units that are becoming commonplace in automobiles were to have a feature that warns the driver when they exceed the posted speed limit by a certain amount?
The warning on the GPS could be as simple as:
- The current speed being visibly displayed in red when the limit is exceeded by a small margin,
- The current speed flashes if the limit is exceeded by certain margin (user settable, perhaps defaulted to 8 mph over)
- An audible prompt is played if the limit is exceeded by a larger margin (user settable, perhaps defaulted to 12 mph over)
- Watch the video
What needs should be considered if something like this were to be implemented?
Drivers’ Needs (Summary): edit these needs
- Safety – decrease likelihood of being involved in an accident that is the result of unintentional speeding.
- Ticket Avoidance – reduce the likelihood of receiving a speeding ticket for driving faster than they intend.
- Flexibility – To adjust the warnings to fit their needs, or to turn them off completely.
- Financial – To be able to inexpensively obtain a GPS unit with this feature.
General Public’s Needs (Summary): edit these needs
- Safety – To preserve lives and reduce injuries by making the roadways in the United States a safer place.
- Financial – To reduce the burden on taxpayers and insurance customers alike.
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GPS manufacturers’ Needs (Summary): edit these needs
- Profit – Ultimate need is to be a profitable business and thus take care of their stockholders.
- To sell GPS units!
- Freedom – To have the freedom to design units for sale in such a way that will be the most attractive to potential customers. This includes the option of allowing the user fully customizable values for the warning trigger points likely essential for this concept to be workable.
- Limited Liability – To be unhindered by potential liability from including the features that will be critical to selling units with this feature (ie full user flexibility in setting the trigger points)
- Limited Liability – To not create perceived liability where none actually exists from requesting protection that is actually unneeded.
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Municipalities’ Needs (Summary): edit these needs
- Financial – To ensure that their needs for revenue are met, regardless of the source.
- Service – To protect the safety and financial needs of their residents as outlined in the “General Public’s Needs” above.
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Other Groups’ Needs (Summary): edit these needs
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