The UK will obey the European Commission’s new road safety regulations, and fit mandatory speed limiters on all vehicles from 2022
The European Commission has reached a provisional agreement on a revised version of the General Safety Regulation for motor vehicles, which the UK will partially conform to. As of 2022, all new vehicles sold in Europe will be legally required to feature a speed limiter, along with a wide range of additional safety measures.
The Department for Transport has confirmed that the speed limiter technology will apply to vehicles sold in the UK, despite Brexit. The UK’s type approval centre, the VCA, has also previously said it intends to mirror European rules post-Brexit, as European manufacturers are unlikely to homologate vehicles specifically for the UK market.
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The limiters, dubbed Intelligent Speed Assistance (or ISA), use traffic-sign-recognition cameras and/or GPS data to determine the maximum permitted speed in a particular area, automatically limiting engine power and a vehicle’s speed to the prevailing limit.
The push for mandatory speed limiters has been spearheaded by the European Transport Safety Council, which says the limiters will reduce traffic collisions by 30 per cent, and save 25,000 lives within 15 years of coming into force. Following political agreement from the European Parliament, Council and Commission, the proposals are now set to be formally approved by the European Parliament and Council.
The ETSC only recommends a “full on/off switch” for the limiters should be included “to aid public acceptance at introduction”, indicating it intends to push for even stricter rules in the future. While it would be possible to override the ISA by pushing hard on the accelerator, the system would be activated every time the car is started.
The ETSC’s recommendations also stipulate that “If the driver continues to drive above the speed limit for several seconds, the system should sound a warning for a few seconds and display a visual warning until the vehicle is operating at or below the speed limit again.” Once the car returns to or below the speed limit, the limiter would automatically reactivate.
Other compulsory safety equipment outlined by the new EU regulations include data loggers, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, a driver fatigue detection system, reversing sensors or cameras, and pre-wiring for alcohol interlock devices.
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