Will Drivers Love or Hate Auto Speed Limits? NHTSA Tests It
Published Date: 10/15/2026
Notice
Summary
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is asking for approval to collect info on how drivers feel about and use Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems through simulator and closed track tests. This affects drivers and researchers, aiming to improve road safety with new tech. Comments on this plan are open until November 16, 2026, and the data collection will take about 308 hours total.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.
Time required to participate
If you volunteer for the study, you will spend time completing online forms and simulator sessions. Study 1 participants will spend about 85 minutes in the driving assessment (including five 12-minute drives) plus consent and questionnaires; Studies 2 and 3 participants will spend about 125 minutes in the driving assessment (including two 45-minute drives) plus pre- and post-drive questionnaires. The agency estimates per-respondent form times (e.g., 12 minutes for the eligibility questionnaire, 15 minutes for consent) and totals the collection burden as 931 hours overall and 308 hours annually.
Who may be recruited and sample size
NHTSA will recruit adults 18 and older from Eastern Iowa and surrounding areas who volunteer for driving studies. The agency expects 700 people will start the online eligibility questionnaire, 475 will complete it, up to 300 will be enrolled, and the target sample is 240 drivers.
Payment and travel costs for participants
Respondents will not incur any reporting or recordkeeping costs from the study; the only expected out-of-pocket cost is a one-time local travel cost to the driving lab. NHTSA states those travel costs are minimal and expected to be offset by monetary compensation that will be provided to all participants who enroll.
Personal and driving data collected
To participate you must provide identifying and eligibility information (including review of your driver's license and completion of a substitute W-9 for payment), and the simulator will record detailed driving data (for example, brake inputs, steering wheel angle) and data about the surrounding environment (for example, distance to surrounding vehicles and lane markings). NHTSA also notes the simulator can record driver eye-glance behavior and that informed consent forms describe study procedures and potential risks.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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