European Cars will Require Speed Limiters Starting 20222 min read

As of 2022, the EU will require all new cars sold in Europe to have speed limiting systems to increase safety measures.

Each year 25,000 people are killed on the road, according to EU Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska. Vehicle accidents are predominantly caused by human error or misjudgment.

Mandatory advanced safety technology will provide us with “the same kind of impact as when safety belts were first introduced,” Bienkowska continued.

The European Commission has agreed on implementing mandatory Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems to prevent vehicles from exceeding the legal speed limit.

ISA uses a speed sign-recognition camera or GPS-linked speed limit data to notify the driver of the speed limit, according to European Transport Safety Council. When necessary, the ISA system automatically limits engine power, rather than applying the breaks, to reduce the car’s speed.

Some of the other safety features that have been approved by the EU include advanced emergency breaking, alcohol interlock installation facilitation, crash data recorders, reversing cameras, and lane-keeping assistance.

While some people are supportive of the technologically-advanced automatic safety features, others fear the outcome if humans are no longer in manual control of their vehicles.

Those in doubt are concerned about drivers becoming frivolous and less attentive on the road.

Will such technology make drivers more inclined to multitask while driving? Will drivers start to believe that it is more acceptable to send texts and make calls while on the road?

The European Automotive Manufactures Association said they are slightly concerned about the technology failing to detect speed limits since road signs are not consistently present throughout Europe.

The new safety feature rules have not yet been officially approved by European Parliament and Council.

The rules may not be approved until after the European Parliament elections held in May, according to the European Transport Safety Council.

Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash