European Union mandates speed limiters on all new cars to enhance road safety

[midian182]

A hot potato: In an attempt to prevent drivers from breaking the law and endangering themselves and others, the EU is making speed limiters mandatory on all new cars. The new rules come into effect on July 7 and, while they do not impact the UK, they do affect Northern Ireland.

Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA) technology uses a speed sign-recognition video camera and/or GPS-linked speed limit data to advise drivers of the current speed limit and warn them if they are exceeding it.

While drivers can accelerate and brake as they would normally while ISA is activated, the limiter sends haptic, audio, and visual warnings to drivers who break the limit until they slow down.

Many new cars already feature ISA technology, but it can be easily overridden. The new rules ensures cars will feature ISA systems that cannot be permanently switched off; they restart every time the engine is restarted.

Autotrader notes that many auto manufacturers already include factory-fitted ISA in some cars, including Citroen, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Peugeot, Renault and Volvo. Renault Group went even further by limiting the top speed of all new Renault and Citroen cars, though they can still reach 112 mph.

Some drivers say the warning signals they receive from ISA systems can be annoying or even distracting while driving. To address this, manufacturers can choose from four different alert options: the accelerator pedal pushing back against a driver's foot; the propulsion power being automatically reduced, though it can be overridden by pushing the pedal again; visual and audio cues that eventually time out; and a visual cue that leads to a vibrating pedal if ignored.

In addition to the speed limiter, the new rules make other vehicle safety features, including automated lane-keeping and autonomous emergency braking, mandatory.

The mandates are being pushed not only as a way of increasing safety, promoting better driving, and helping people avoid speeding fines, but also as a method of driving more economically by using less fuel. Whether drivers see it that way is debatable.

Masthead credit: Kalden Swart

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European Union mandates speed limiters on all new cars to enhance road safety

 

[Puiu]

I'm ok with this. It's not overly intrusive and I see way too many people who have no idea what speed they are going at since they barely look at their dashboard.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Push back in the acccelorator!?!

I will never buy a car that can override my controls.

The nanny state is getting out of control.

 

[RudyBob]

It's another step in the right direction for the rich and powerful. Total control just got closer

 

[Dreadcthulhu]

I can already see some situations where this could cause issues - its pretty common for major highways to have access roads running parallel to the highway, with much lower speed limits. I have had GPS mistakenly think I was on the access road when I was in fact on the highway before; it is easily to see this sort system making the same mistake and trying to make you slow down when that would be downright dangerous on many highways.

 

[SpatulaCity]

No thank you. I don't need some nagging car telling me how to drive. We all have to pass a driver's test and I know how to read speed limit road signs. I used to park cars for a valet company and it was so annoying to have the occasional car auto brake when I was backing into a spot and still had plenty of room. The sound was horrendous and scared me every time. These mandated systems are just more technology to be repaired, go out of date and add to the cost. Nanny state at it again. What's next? Regulating how much and what foods you eat? They'd probably save more lives trying to enact a food consumption limit.

 

[Jim Lahey]

A perfect example of an intrusive control that will cost the consumer and justify useless bureaucratic roles at the EU.

These folks don’t realize that the entire European continent and way of life is under threat but hey, at least you can’t drive too fast.

 

[ConfidenceMan]

The implementation of speed limiters is long overdue. As someone who lives in an urban centre, vehicle noise, from aggressive acceleration to tire noise of oversized vehicles, should be curbed as much as possible.

As for highway driving, minimizing the variance, that is everyone driving at the same speed (I.e. 90-100km/h) is far safer that having the risky overtaking from one lane to the next to only get ahead by a few seconds.

 

[godrilla]

Wouldn't they shoot themselves in the foot. All those exotic cars exports and the vat . This will just make older cars more attractive and and probably a short term hysteria to purchase those vehicles before this is implemented. Now they have new cars with speed limiters and older cards zooming by. The criminals will just mod thier cars as possibility as well.

 

[dangh]

No more *****s driving 140 km/h in urban zone (50 km/h)? Can't wait!

 

[Zoneman]

Seems dangerous to have haptic, audio, and visual warnings. Glad we do not have this in the states "yet"

 

[The Talking Tech]

I guess many people will have to depart to work much earlier than they are used to.

 

[Phyrino]

As someone who often drive 5-10 km/h over the speed limit... I got no problem with this.
If it stops a few *******s on the road, I can deal with it.

 

[Jme Kerul]

A perfect example of an intrusive control that will cost the consumer and justify useless bureaucratic roles at the EU.

These folks don’t realize that the entire European continent and way of life is under threat but hey, at least you can’t drive too fast.

I see you have no idea to whom these *****ic systems are intended to.
Belgians drink themselves under the table and afterwards drive home.
And kill other Belgians riding bikes home.

 

[toooooot]

I once drove a ford with speed limiter. The feature was tied to one of the keys. I learned about it when I tried two slow cars using the opposite lane. It was pretty dangerous because I bare;y gained enough speed to get back to the right lane before I saw cars coming my way.

 

[NESNerd]

This is great. On my car I have the alerts set to 10% over the posted speed limit to allow for normal ups and downs around the speed limit at any speed. I also have it set to not allow driving faster than 137km/h (85mph). I've never had an instance where it made me think twice about it. Frankly, it's a great way to help reduce the chance of speeding tickets as well

 

[brucek]

The last time I saw a study of average vehicle speeds it said the typical flow of traffic on a road marked for 55 MPH was 66 MPH. In my lifetime it has always been the case that most cars drive a little faster than the posted speed, and everyone including cops seem to be OK with this.

What feels unsafe to me is a two tier system where newer cars are trying to adhere to the posted speeds, while everyone else is going with the flow. The latter is safer.

I'm a slower driver myself and won't miss *****s who are trying to weave in and out to eek out more speed for limited distances at a time at the expense of their safety and others, but I would be affected if someone who pulled into the opposite lane couldn't complete their pass in time. That's on them but an innocent party might end up paying the price.

 

[Starfals]

I'm fine with this too. I have been in 25 car crashes. Im not even that old yet lol, under 40. Half of these were in a taxi, being hit by others. It was proven too, by cameras and the police. The other ones were while I was with friends or family, not speeding or anything. Every single issue I have was because of people driving way too fast. Too fast to react on time. Some were drunk while speeding. It's not a joke that my country is one of the leading ones in Europe with the most dead on the streets. It's a war zone out here. I also saw MANY times motorbikes crashing into kids, moms, stores... driving with 150. They often die too. Always under 30... Dying that young is insane to me. What is this? The middle ages?!

Honestly, if you drive with that much inside a city, 25 years of jail time. Is it bad? What's worse? Dying VS 25 years of jail? You pick, but something has to be done. People don't smart up. It's a major issue worldwide too.

P.s. My aunt got hit by a car 2 times, I was hit by a car 3 times, my body.. not while I was seated inside a car (1 time when I was 13 btw!!) my best friend got hit, my teacher got hit, my cousin got hit... should I go on? It's very common.

 

[twister666]

We already have those in Serbia - it's called shitty roads. Much cheaper to implement too!

 

[subnex]

Great yet another bunch of features in a car that drivers will have to fight instead of keeping their focus on the road and surroundings.
Gps or sign based speed readings are often wrong, and I have experienced multiple lane keeping assistant features that seem happy to push the car into a bicycle I'm passing just to keep the car between the lines...

 

[kiwigraeme]

Have this been built into nav maps for quite awhile.
Main problems were updates where things change

Also fine with top speed limitations, as long as way for people to still go to the Nuremburg Ring and have it disabled. Yes we have the german highways built for speed as an exception.

As an aside when driving in Montana , when they had drive at a safe speed, I never saw anyone going crazy.

Someone going down the highway at 100mph or 160Km/h doesn't overly concern me in good conditions and high spec car. People racing down narrow suburban streets at 60mph /100Km/h grinds my gears , especially near schools. problem is very little just them getting caught on many streets , as rare occurrence and no probability of a cop on that street. plus in my country too dangerous for cops to chase if flee. Not opposed for them to be pulled from vehicle by neighbourhood and dealt with. Anyone endangering kids, elderly , mums with strollers etc

 

[Rippleman]

This is a good thing.

 

[m3tavision]

People who don't use their rearview mirrors are more dangerous than those who are trying to pass.

 

[daffy duck]

I'm ok with this. It's not overly intrusive and I see way too many people who have no idea what speed they are going at since they barely look at their dashboard.

You should be a straight jacket sitting in the back of an autonomous vehicle IMO.

 

[umeng2002]

Thanks, mom.