How technology helps reduce speeding, distracted and impaired driving crashes

By Brandon Serna

August 5, 2026

Youthcast Media Group®

Reckless and impaired driving, along with speeding, contributes to 30% of fatal car crashes and continues to cause deadly accidents on the road, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Because of this, new technologies are starting to step in to help prevent drivers from making dangerous decisions behind the wheel. 

One example of this is Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), which helps stop drivers from exceeding safe speed limits. ISA uses a car’s GPS location along with a database of posted speed limits and onboard cameras to make sure the vehicle is traveling at safe and legal speeds. 

There are two main types of ISA systems: Passive systems warn the driver when they go over the speed limit using visual, sound, or haptic alerts, but the driver still has to slow down themselves. Active systems go a step further by making it harder to speed by electronically limiting the vehicle so it cannot go past the speed limit. 

“The role of speeding in crashes is well documented,” said Ryan McMahon, a senior vice president at Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), a mobile technology and research company. “Speed is directly translated to the injuries and the severity of what happens.” 

CMT has a platform called StreetVision, which uses telematics to measure things like speeding, hard braking, aggressive acceleration, and phone use or distracted driving. This data is then used to give feedback to drivers based on their individual risk, helping them improve their driving over time.

“What telematics did is it opened up the capability to measure and assess individual risk that ultimately has been absent from road safety,” said McMahon.

Speed cameras, which are used to reduce dangerous driving, can be controversial.  But a  CMT study showed improvement in driving during increased speed camera enforcement around school zones during school hours. In 2025, when use of the cameras was expanded to outside school hours, speeds dropped significantly. 

Within two weeks of the expanded enforcement and warnings, speeds above 30 mph dropped by 7 percentage points, which is about a 30% relative reduction. Speeds above 35 mph dropped even more, falling by 39%. 

Speeding is a major factor, not only in crashes themselves but also in the severity of those crashes. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), speeding-related crashes caused 12,330 deaths in 2021, which is about one-third of all U.S. crash deaths. NTSB supports a comprehensive strategy that includes technologies like ISA, better speed limit regulations, increased use of speed cameras, and improved laws and data collection.

Technology is also helping address impaired driving. Every day in the United States, about 32 people die in drunk-driving crashes, which is roughly one person every 44 minutes, according to data from NHTSA. In 2024, 11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, NHTSA reported.

Alcohol ignition interlock systems prevent a car from starting unless the driver provides a breath sample below a preset blood alcohol concentration. These systems, offered by companies including SmartStart and Mindr, are often required for people convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) and help prevent repeat offenses by making sure drivers are sober before they can operate a vehicle. Attorneys can also recommend that clients get a portable SmartStart alcohol monitoring device after an arrest or during family law disputes.  

Distracted driving is another serious issue that technology is trying to reduce. In 2023, distracted driving claimed 3,275 lives, according to NHTSA data. NHTSA defines distracted driving as any activity that takes attention away from driving, including texting, talking on the phone, eating, or adjusting the radio or navigation system.

State Farm and Erie Insurance are among the insurers that partner with CMT to offer discounts and other incentives when drivers allow CMT’s DriveWell apps to monitor their driving for distraction, speeding and other risky behavior. Those with iPhones can also turn on the “do not disturb” function through Apple’s “driving focus” features. Many companies continue to make advancements in road safety, but it is important for drivers to remember their responsibility on the road, says McMahon. 

“Technology is part of the solution set that can build a layer of protection that goes beyond individual operations,” he says. Ultimately, the safety of a vehicle is up to the person behind the wheel.”

Brandon Serna is in the class of 2027 at Bard High School Early College DC, one of Youthcast Media Group’s partner schools. He worked with YMG founder and former USA Today auto safety reporter Jayne O’Donnell on this story.