UK Plans to adopt vehicle speed limiters to improve Road Safety

A new road safety rule is likely to be set into place, with the potential to save up to 25,000 lives by 2038. This speed limiter device, due to be installed into all new cars that are sold within the EU and UK, could be mandatory from as early as 2022.

As part of the rules provisionally agreed by the EU, the speed limiter will be one of 15 new safety features to be made compulsory in cars, HGVs and buses. Under the new rules, cars will also be fitted with mandatory data recorders, or black boxes. This will help monitor speed, as well as provide data post-accident to investigate travelling speed prior to the incident.

How it works

An ISA (Intelligent Speed Assistance) device will use sign recognition cameras and GPS to detect the speed limits of each road and if a driver is to exceed the speed limit, the technology will limit the engine power and therefore prevent the vehicle from accelerating beyond a certain speed. Drivers however, will be able to override the limiters by pushing hard on the accelerator, causing a warning light to trigger.

A full on/off switch for the system is also predicted, but this would relapse every time the car is restarted.

Key leaders within the automotive industry have mentioned the initiative as being one the biggest leaps forward for road safety this century, having the potential to minimise the number of accidents on roads by a long way.

Major brands such as Ford, Renault and Peugeot among others already have models available with this ISA technology already fitted. However, as time progresses this technology will only improve for the better to further protect drivers.

At Croyland we ensure that when you buy a used car from us, its quality and features have been checked thoroughly so you can drive away safely, and with confidence.