All new cars in Europe will be required to have speed limiting devices installed.
New speed limiting devices will be mandatory for all new cars in the EU.
It comes after a report from the European Transport Safety Council found 26,000 road deaths happen in Europe every year, and speed is one of main reasons for this figure.
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As a result of this research, new speed limiting software called the Intelligent Speed Assistance system (ISA), has been developed.
The software will be mandatory for all new cars from next year, despite the UK leaving the EU.
The ISA system will use GPS and street sign detection to ensure drivers maintain the speed limit at all times.
Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research warns there are limitations to the technology when it comes to detecting speed:
“Speed signs can often be obscured or inaccurate, while GPS mapping can be out of date. Temporary limits and road works can confuse the system too.
“This could lead to speeding fines if the system isn’t picking up the limit correctly. And drivers will still be liable, whether they were relying on the system or not.”
If the system detects the car is exceeding the speed limit, it sends out visual and audible warnings to the driver.
As per EU regulations, ISA does not forcefully restrict vehicle power or prevent a driver from driving above speed limits.
The regulation is said to clearly state that the driver is in full control of the car, with the ISA only being an assist system.
India also mandated the speed-warning feature across all new cars sold a couple of years back. However it cannot be disabled or over-ridden in any way.
The European Transport Safety Council believes that the technology could reduce road collisions by 30% and deaths by 20%.
If those forecasts prove accurate, then as well as making the roads safer there should be fewer car insurance claims, which could see premiums fall.
Many Ford models already use the ISA system, as do Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot/Citroen and Renault cars.
Volvo was the first manufacturer to roll out the system across all its models.
