Speed limiting tech from 2022

All new vehicles sold in Europe from 2022 will have new technology to limit speeds.

The EU has provisionally agreed to implement these laws across Europe, and the Department of Transport has said it would also adopt the laws regardless of Brexit.

EU Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said, ‘Every year, 25,000 people lose their lives on our roads. The vast majority of these accidents are caused by human error.

‘With the new advanced safety features that will become mandatory, we can have the same kind of impact as when safety belts were first introduced.’

It is hoped that this intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology, together with other safety measures such as advanced emergency braking and lane-keeping technology could help avoid 140,000 serious injuries by 2038 and aims ultimately to cut road deaths to zero by 2050.

ISA – which can be overriden temporarily, during overtaking for example -will work by receiving information via GPS and a digital map, telling the vehicle what the speed limit is. This can be combined with a video camera capable of recognising road signs.

Road safety charity Brake campaigns director, Joshua Harris, said, ‘This is a landmark day for road safety. These measures will provide the biggest leap forward for road safety this century.’

However, AA president Edmund King said, ‘The best speed limiter is the driver’s right foot. The right speed is often below the speed limit – for example, outside a school with children about – but with ISA, there may be a temptation to go at the top speed allowed.’