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

  • UK government gets future mobility challenge underway
    August 2, 2018
    The UK government has unveiled plans under its Future of Mobility Grand Challenge which could change how people, goods and services move around the country. These initiatives have been outlined in the Last Mile and Future of mobility call for evidence, which provide an insight into how technology could make transport safer, more accessible and greener. Under the plans, electric cargo bikes, vans, quadricycles and micro vehicles could replace vans in UK cities as part of a strategy to change last-mile
    Read More
  • USDoT calls for comment on V2X integration
    December 21, 2018
    The US Department of Transportation (USDoT) is seeking public comment on how Vehicle to Everything (V2X) technology should be integrated into the transport environment. The organisation says it intends to maintain the priority use of 5.9Ghz spectrum for transportation safety communications. It points out that the automotive industry and local authorities “are already deploying V2X technology and actively utilising all seven channels of the 5.9 GHz band” and says that technology such as Cellular-V2X (C-V2
    Read More
  • Transpo measures up when it comes to MMA markings
    March 20, 2018
    “Tell us what you need in markings and we’ll deliver it.” That’s the message to potential European clients says Michael Stenko, chief executive of Transpo Industries, based near New York. Transpo manufactures to customer requirements surface and pavement markings for roads and airfields, as well as the Visi-Barrier, a precast polymer concrete barrier panel. A big issue for many local authorities and contractors is delivery of enough pavement marking for when they need it, where they need it and on time.
    Read More
  • Moovit: Gut feelings no match for data
    August 7, 2019
    Cities that bring in mobility services without data might be missing out on areas where demand is highest. Ben Spencer talks to Moovit’s Alon Shantzer about how the company is helping customers to pinpoint the right locations Launching mobility services without taking into account public transportation data can lead to chaos in cities. That’s the view of Alon Shantzer, vice president international sales at Moovit, the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) provider and transit app. “The data we have can define
    Read More

Highlighted Content