Compulsory speed limiters for all new cars from July 2022
6th July sees speed limiters fitted in all newly launched cars in the UK
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Don’t be fooled into thinking speed limiters will mean you’re off the hook if you’re caught speeding
The UK is set to impose the European’s Commission’s decree that all new vehicles will be fitted with speed limiting technology from July 2022. Even though the UK is no longer part of the EU it still follows most of the EU laws for new cars, to ensure manufacturing is still a cohesive process across different countries in Europe.
If you’re wondering what a speed limiter is, you’re not alone. It's not the same as cruise control, which is a driving assist designed to make your life easier by keeping you cruising at a constant speed without touching the accelerator. It’s a safety device and you have to program it to a certain speed threshold, below which you can accelerate or decelerate as normal. It’s basically a warning system for speeding. The fancy name is Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) and it uses GPS data and traffic-sign-recognition to work out what the speed limit is on the road you’re travelling.
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Honestly it’s pretty similar to the speed limit warning systems already in newer cars. It will send audio, graphic and haptic (vibration) warnings to you if you're over the speed limit. The difference though is that it brings the car automatically down to the speed limit. If you want you can ignore it by accelerating hard but this only temporary suspends it. The system resets automatically whenever you restart the car.
Many manufacturers including Jaguar, Peugeot, Honda, Renault, Ford and Volvo are already fitting speed limiters in their cars. Renault and Citroen are going even further by limiting future cars to a top speed of 112 mph and many other manufacturers are set to follow.
Don’t be fooled into thinking speed limiters will mean you’re off the hook if you’re caught speeding. There’s no blaming technology, all the responsibility lies with the driver. Getting around that speed awareness course isn't an option then...
