Skip to main content

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”.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge toll increases 25 cents
    May 22, 2018
    Motorists travelling over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge are set to pay an extra 25 cents per trip from 1 July. According to a report by Marin Independent Journal: “The onslaught of toll increases at the Golden Gate Bridge is not likely to subside as span authorities face looming budget deficits.” The bridge board will need to decide if more toll hikes are needed in a discussion scheduled for this autumn.
  • Nasa tests drone traffic management system in Nevada and Texas
    February 25, 2019
    US space agency Nasa is moving into the final phase of its four-year programme to prove that it can safely control drones flying over urban centres. Drones, less commonly called unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are likely to form an increasing proportion of the transportation mix for future cities, but questions remain over their safety – particularly in built-up, heavily populated areas. Nasa will test them in two areas – the gambling hotspot of Reno, Nevada, and the Texan city of Corpus Christi.
  • CHAMP final workshop
    June 12, 2014
    The European Cycling Heroes Advancing sustainable Mobility Practice (CHAMP) project will come to an end in September 2014. The final workshop takes place in Gent, Belgium on 11-12 September. The CHAMP project brings together leading cities in the field of cycling. Within the project, they have looked at innovative ways to further boost cycling in their cities and enhance local policies. CHAMP has developed and tested a performance analysis tool, building on self-analysis as well as peer review by ot
  • American Center for Mobility appoints Microsoft data and cloud provider
    April 10, 2018
    The American Center for Mobility (ACM) has appointed Microsoft as its exclusive data and cloud provider to help develop connected and automated vehicles (C/AVs) as well as mobility technologies. The facility officially opened in Ypsilanti Township on the 4 April 2018. ACM is part of the PlanetM, a collaboration of private industry, government and institutions of higher learning that aims to change the way people and goods are transported across all modes of transportation. Both partners will design a