As a result of a new European Union law that impacts UK drivers, all new cars now have speed limiters. Speed limiters will soon be installed on practically all UK cars, thanks to a new EU legislation implemented earlier this year, causing yet another shake-up on our roads.
New EU Law Forces Drivers to Install Intelligent Speed Limiters in All Cars
All new cars in the EU must be equipped with Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA), as reported by BirminghamLive. According to Chris Adams, Group Operations Director at Brindley Group, EU limits have now gone into effect. Chris pointed out: "Unlike manual speed limiters that are on higher-end trim levels, the EU-mandated limiters are active when the car is turned on and apply a limit automatically by using GPS to detect the speed limit on the road you're on."
He went on to say: “The effectiveness of each strategy will be assessed so that the most effective becomes mandatory in the future. Drivers will be able to turn off the ISA manually, but it will reactivate every time the car is turned on, much like Start-Stop technology.”
This implies that any current unregistered vehicles on forecourts must be equipped with a speed limiter before they can be sold. This mandate follows the European Commission's law, which made it a legal requirement for all new vehicles sold in Europe to include a speed limitation by July.
New ISA Technology Sparks Interest in Speed Limit Modifications
Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA) technology employs GPS data and/or traffic-sign-recognition cameras to establish the maximum speed allowed in a given region. The mechanism then restricts the engine's power and the vehicle's speed to that level.
The speed limiter will issue haptic, aural, and visual alerts until you start obeying the speed limit. You can bypass the system by pressing hard on the accelerator, however the system will reactivate every time the car starts.
At present, the law allows you to turn off the speed limiter. The ISA, however, will be enabled when you restart your automobile, so it cannot be permanently disabled. Some may consider upgrading their autos by having the speed limits taken away.