Speed limiters mandatory in EU cars by 2022

Various vehicle safety measures have been given the green light by European policymakers, paving the way for speed limiters in cars by 2022. The European Parliament, Council and Commission have approved the measures, which means such technology as lane assist, drowsiness detection, advanced emergency braking and intelligent speed assistance (ISA – or speed limiters) are expected to be mandatory – if formal approval is granted - in new vehicles in three years’ time. EU commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska, res
March 28, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Various vehicle safety measures have been given the green light by European policymakers, paving the way for speed limiters in cars by 2022.

The European Parliament, Council and Commission have approved the measures, which means such %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external technology false https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/34588 false false%> as lane assist, drowsiness detection, advanced emergency braking and intelligent speed assistance (ISA – or speed limiters) are expected to be mandatory – if formal approval is granted - in new vehicles in three years’ time.

EU commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska, responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said: "Every year, 25,000 people lose their lives on our roads. The vast majority of these accidents are caused by human error. We can and must act to change this. With the new advanced safety features that will become mandatory, we can have the same kind of impact as when the safety belts were first introduced. Many of the new features already exist, in particular in high-end vehicles. Now we raise the safety level across the board, and pave the way for connected and automated mobility of the future."

The European General Safety Regulations have been welcomed by many road safety groups. In the UK, 491 TRL says they are predicted to save up to 25,000 lives and prevent 140,000 serious injuries in the next two decades.

“ISA alerts and prevents the driver from accelerating above the speed limit,” TRL says in a statement. “This is an important feature to influence driver behaviour and reduce driving speed. When a vehicle is even marginally speeding it can make the difference between a collision that is avoidable and a serious or fatal collision. Preventing a vehicle from speeding will also increase the effectiveness of all other safety measures in the European General Safety Regulations.”

The 776 Road Safety Foundation said: “We welcome these technologies with open arms.”

However, not everyone is so sure. UK motoring organisation, the AA, said the “best speed limiter is the driver’s right foot”.

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • More Than: over half of Britons in test support car crash images used as speeding deterrent
    November 20, 2017
    58% of Britons who took part in a More Than (MT) visual deterrent speed sign test support its new proposal for speed limit signs to be accompanied by images of car crashes to deter drivers from speeding. The test follows a recent study from the campaign group, which revealed that 62% of drivers regularly ignore speeding signs along with 25% who stated that the threat of having to attend a speed awareness course isn't enough of a deterrent. Upon the reasons behind the effectiveness of the images in causing
    Read More
  • Ford’s decision to bin Chariot ride-share service came after ‘significant consideration’
    January 24, 2019
    Ford has given no explanation for the decision to abandon its ride-sharing shuttle service Chariot, but said it came after “significant consideration”. The service will stop operating on UK shuttle commuter routes tomorrow – after just a few months - and on US routes after 1 February. All Chariot services will cease completely by the end of March. A statement from the company gave little clue as to why: “In today’s mobility landscape, the wants and needs of customers and cities are changing rapidly. We a
    Read More
  • Quarter of Brits ‘would fund smart city solutions from tax’
    April 18, 2019
    Almost a quarter (24%) of British people would be willing to fund smart city solutions using their own tax contributions, according to new research from ATG Access. Part of road barrier specialist ATG’s ‘Smart cities: Turning the dream into a reality’ report, the research found that more than half (57%) would be happy for their tax to go towards smart traffic lights, and 44% for smarter signs which give real-time traffic updates. Nearly a quarter (24%) said they would also be willing to fund smart barrie
    Read More
  • Cohda Wireless to trial AVs which can talk to each other in Australia
    October 15, 2018
    Cohda Wireless is to trial two autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Australia this month. The MKZ Sedans can communicate with traffic lights and each other – and the company also expects them to be able to detect pedestrians around blind corners. The initiative, approved by the South Australian government, will take place in Adelaide’s central business district on closed-off roads. Dr Paul Gray, chief executive officer of Cohda Wireless, told ABC that the technology is intended to reduce the chance of huma
    Read More

Highlighted Content