https://www.confused.com/on-the-road/safety/speed-limiters-mandatory-on-new-cars?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=brandawareness&utm_term=20211003&utm_content=september_2021_newsletter_bulletin_customers

This has been on the cards for over 3 years since the European Parliament gave it the green light early in 2019.  No opt out for us it seems, despite leaving the EU - but what government would want to be seen to be opposing such a "safety" measure?

I do hope they will keep accurate records of all accidents and deaths caused by the systems miss-reading speed signs. Also after the first few fatal accidents caused by the system slowing the vehicle incorrectly I would expect there to be a sudden outbreak of solicitors willing to fight a "no win no charge" against the Department for Transport

The speed limiter on my Ecosport is the basic one and not the ISA so I never use it as the speed limits change to often as I drive around so I would be forever changing the limiter up and down. I live in a hilly area and as the limiter doesn't apply the brakes it's no use other than to keep sounding a warning when I go one mile per hour over.

10 hours ago, unofix said:

I do hope they will keep accurate records of all accidents and deaths caused by the systems miss-reading speed signs. 

They'll probably be put down as Covid deaths... 

I have the TSR on my car which is quite a useful aid, but as we all know, is, to say the least, by no means foolproof. Fortunately it doesn't slow the car just gives a warning.

I assume the compulsory speed limiter will operate in the same way as the intelligent speed assist does now, by cutting off the power rather than applying the brakes, so slowing should not be too violent, though I've seen nothing to suggest that the system will suddenly become more accurate, unless the Government are intending a big increase in road sign maintenance, etc.

The issue will be that come next year new cars will have it, but the overwhelming majority of vehicles on the road won't, which could well give rise to the issues Unofix mentions, particularly with those drivers who do not maintain sensible distance from the vehicle in front.

Autocar did a feature on the pros and cons a few years back, trying out the then new Focus 4 with ISA:

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/intelligent-speed-assistance-everything-you-need-know

 

 

Just as an afterthought, I assume that all this stuff will require even more microchips, lack of which is already causing extended lead times?

If I glue a 70mph sign to the end of my bonnet can I keep cracking on?

Will they use road signs or will they use satellite signals. I wouldn't think that road signs would be reliable enough. I can't see why they could cause accidents as people slow down for speed limits anyway so it's no different.

The most annoying thing about my limiter is the fact that every time I stop the engine  and re start I have to re set it so I just don't bother .

I would love to have an automatic one. It bothers me why people don't want them unless they want to go faster than the limit all of the time.

2 hours ago, billyboy said:

Will they use road signs or will they use satellite signals. I wouldn't think that road signs would be reliable enough. I can't see why they could cause accidents as people slow down for speed limits anyway so it's no different.

The most annoying thing about my limiter is the fact that every time I stop the engine  and re start I have to re set it so I just don't bother .

I would love to have an automatic one. It bothers me why people don't want them unless they want to go faster than the limit all of the time.

Active speed limiters are totally different to your manual one.  Satellite isn't as reliable as you'd hope, insurance black boxes often get it wrong.  And the camera will pick up ANY signs that are within it's vision range.  So for example, you're driving along a NSL bypass road at 50mph, you pass the entrance road to a village where the 30mph sign is at an angle that gets picked up by the camera, the car slams on the brakes and you're suddenly at the front of a mass pile up...   

2 hours ago, billyboy said:

I wouldn't think that road signs would be reliable enough

You must live in a well maintained part of the country. Yesteday just for my own am amusement I turned on the speed limiter on my car something I never do. On a short journey of 6 miles it only managed to screw up 5 times. The best was while on a 30mph road I passed the entrance to a factory who had 10mph signs on their gates and you can guess what happened. Within a few seconds power was cut and my car slowed. The best was yet to come driving in to the city centre (a 30mph zone) a 'Highways Maintenance' pick up truck was in front of me. On the back was a collection of road work signs and at the back facing me was a 40mph sign which my car was happy to accept as the correct speed limit.

While this debate will now rumble on with opinions from all sides the fact will remain, it will be introduced and it will cause as many if not more problems than it solves until such times as cars eventually become driverless and the right to think as a human is completely removed.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

 So for example, you're driving along a NSL bypass road at 50mph, you pass the entrance road to a village where the 30mph sign is at an angle that gets picked up by the camera, the car slams on the brakes and you're suddenly at the front of a mass pile up...   

But if everyone was driving correctly and leaving a decent, 2 second rule, gap there shouldn't be any pile up. 😀

38 minutes ago, Turvey said:

But if everyone was driving correctly and leaving a decent, 2 second rule, gap there shouldn't be any pile up. 😀

If only.....  

I've long held the rather boring view that the key to better road safety is better driver training. Most of us pass our tests and then learn nothing more for the next 50 plus years (unless we attend a speed awareness course!). I make no claims about my driving skills, but at least I've had a fair bit of extra training both via my company when I was a company car driver and at my own expense (and a speed awareness course!).

I'm not necessarily advocating compulsory re-tests after "x" years, but something along the lines of a speed awareness course to update drivers on changes in legislation, etc, since they passed their test, along with practical modules on defensive driving, skid control etc.

Unfortunately that will never happen as it still leaves too much human control for the legislators.

On the mechanics of these systems, like Tom and Unofix I've commented several times on cameras misreading signs, signs that are missing, damaged or covered by vegetation, and out of date GPS data.

The danger here is that drivers will concentrate less as they think the system is taking care of speed for them. 

 

 

 

Time to lighten things up a bit before we all disappear down the rabbit hole 🤣

 

1 hour ago, Turvey said:

But if everyone was driving correctly and leaving a decent, 2 second rule, gap there shouldn't be any pile up. 😀

If everyone was driving correctly there'd be no need to mandate automatic speed limiting!  

Driving at 20mph, mask wearing forever, cameras on every street corner, every shop, in every room in the house.No thanks I choose freedom.I’m amazed people are so compliant to government restrictions, on the grounds of safety and wrapping everyone up in cotton wool.I push back when ever I can.

I have never seen a GPS satnav with 100% correct speed limits for every road, in fact most are pitifully inaccurate. We have established that speed sign recognition is poor and often produces incorrect answers for the speed of the current road, this is not surprising as the signage is often poorly placed/poorly maintained/mis orientated on the post/covered by hedges.

Combining these features into a system that prevents the vehicle from exceeding what will essentially be a random speed is not likely to be successful. It is likely to be frustrating for the driver of the car with the feature and drivers following that car.

Will there be some way for the driver to override this rubbish? If not it will be even more frustrating, but if there is then it will render the system pointless.

This doesn't seem well thought out to me.

If this was based on the maps on my current satnav, which are the latest F10 version, on my way home from work I would be restricted to 30 in 40 and 50 mph road sections but allowed to do 60 in a 40mph section.

44 minutes ago, pcaouolte said:

Will there be some way for the driver to override this rubbish? If not it will be even more frustrating, but if there is then it will render the system pointless.

I understand that on 2022 models it will be possible to turn the system off, but just like the stupid Stop/Start system it will be something that you will have to disable every time you start the engine. Once you pass a speed sign with a lower limit than your current speed it will at first just anoy you with a warning like the seat belt reminder but if after a while you still are over the speed that it "thinks" you should be doing then it will cut power until your speed is reduced. There is an emergency overide for occasions when you might suddenly need to exceed the speed limit which you can activate by pressing hard down on the accelerator pedal (Like Kick-Down in an automatic) but it will only last for a short time before once again the power will be cut from the engine.

Since the whole thing will be hailed a fantastic sucsses by the Woke police regardless of how bad it might be, we can look forward to 2023 onwards models no longer having the ability to disable the system - for our own good of course !! 🤔

News just in ---- each new car will also come with 2 free compulsory injections of the Covid22 vaccine and one free mask to be worn when driving by yourself - and you know it's for your own good !!! 🤣

31 minutes ago, unofix said:

I understand that on 2022 models it will be possible to turn the system off, but just like the stupid Stop/Start system it will be something that you will have to disable every time you start the engine.

Yes, I understand that will be the initial situation, but I have no doubt the plan is to make it permanently "on" in due course.

Just one more thing to add to "cockpit drill" before you set off I suppose - at least it might make people consider walking for short journeys (which I normally do anyway) rather than waste 15 minutes sitting in the car turning off all the stuff you don't want (if you still can!).😃

On 10/3/2021 at 10:21 PM, unofix said:

I do hope they will keep accurate records of all accidents and deaths caused by the systems miss-reading speed signs.

My 'grey import' Celica GT4 was limited to 112MPH, a device fitted to the speedometer removed this limit, which I had carried out. Of course, I rarely did more than 80MPH, but the principal of an 'authority' limiting the speed of my car was abhorrent. I hope there will be a lovely industry of garage boffins able to override such an intrusive system, complete with a built in gadget to make it invisible to the authorities...

Cue the 2022 new car market collapsing without trace.

I do find the traffic sign recognition feature in the Mondeo useful at times. That said, it does sometimes get it wrong if the speed limit sign is at an odd angle or obscured, so a system that enforces the limit rather than provides a reminder sounds like a bad idea. If it does become mandatory and it's time for a change of car I may find myself looking through the used car ads for a Mk2 Granada.

I shall be designing auto off systems and GPs spoofing devices. Military technology has its uses!

6 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

If only.....  

I've long held the rather boring view that the key to better road safety is better driver training.

 

Can highly recommend the following, I have an autographed copy - he's my Uncle LOL

33 minutes ago, anon said:

Cue the 2022 new car market collapsing without trace.

Yes I keep thinking about that sort of scenario.

Also, there is some excitement at present about electric car sales, but when you remove from the equation company car drivers snapping up Teslas on tax efficient salary sacrifice schemes, techie types who must have the latest thing, and committed greens, I don't see much evidence so far of the average driver embracing electric.

Could all this be a case of holding a party and no-one comes?