Last week it became law for all vehicles made in the EU to be fitted with speed limiters. Drivers are warned by the system called Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology when they go above speed limits.
If they then don't slow down the system slows the car down itself by reducing engine power. It even uses GPS data and traffic cameras to calculate speeds.
According to North Wales Live, Home Office figures show that, last year, 6,000 motorists per day were booked for speeding in the UK. The EU claims ISA systems will cut motoring deaths across Europe by up to 30%.
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The regulation, introduced across the EU on July 6, affects all new cars, work vehicles and public transport - including buses, vans and trucks. New cars already in showrooms will have until July 2024 to be ISA-equipped.
As yet, the UK government has yet to decide whether to follow suit and make them a legal requirement here. However the Department for Transport was involved in the development of the plans and pressure is mounting from car makers and trade bodies to have uniformity across Europe.
Ministers are set to discuss the issue in the coming months. It is expected they will eventually introduce the regulation in the UK.
Graham Conway, managing director of Select Car Leasing, suspects it will take years for ISA systems to be fitted to every vehicle on the road. He wants to see them introduced here.
“Currently, there are around 2,000 deaths from car accidents per year in the UK, and this new law will hopefully see a significant decline in those figures,” he said. “The changes could help save more than 25,000 lives and avoid at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038.
“We welcome anything that improves the safety of road users. However, speed limiter technology shouldn’t be the only thing road users rely on to maintain a safe speed. It’s vital to still pay attention to their surroundings and drive according to the conditions, and don’t simply rely on a speed limiter to keep yourself, and other road users, safe.”
Actively slowing vehicles through loss of power is just one option available through ISA technology. Under the new EU General Safety Rule, manufacturers can choose how their ISA systems notify drivers of speed breaches.
These also include acoustic and vibrating warnings, as well as “haptic feedback” – touch sensations – via the accelerator pedal. One or all of these must be incorporated. However research has shown that audible warnings are annoying to drivers are more likely to be switched off.
ISA technology has been around for 20 years and many cars in Europe – and the UK – already have speed limit assistance. Currently, these systems currently have to be switched on by the driver.
Under the new EU regulations, ISA will work by default, although for now drivers can still switch off the system before starting each journey. Motoring experts expect fully automated speed controls are inevitable in the future.
Critics have claimed ISA systems could be dangerous if they don’t allow motorists to accelerate quickly to avoid unexpected road hazards. The EU has rejected the claims as speed limiters can be overridden by pressing hard on the accelerator. This allows the car to go above the permitted speed for a short time before ISA reengages.
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