All new cars to be fitted with technology to stop drivers going over speed limit

All new cars, vans, lorries and buses sold in Europe will have to be fitted with a range of new vehicle safety features, including speed limiters under tough EU safety rules.

The rules, which will come into force in 2022, will see Intelligent Speed Assistance systems (ISA) fitted into vehicles.

The ISAs will use GPS to work out what the speed limit is in an area and will then ensure the car doesn’t break it.

A provisional EU deal on the legislation was reached last night in Strasbourg.

A range of other measures include new crash testing requirements, mandatory installation of driver assistance systems, including Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection and Lane Keep Assistance (LKA), as well as a new direct vision standard for lorries and buses to enable drivers to have a better view of other road users around their vehicle.

A recent report from Brake and Direct Line, based on a survey of more than 2,000 UK drivers, found that drivers support the measures, with nearly 9 in 10 agreeing that all new cars should be fitted with the latest life-saving safety features as standard.

The report also found that more than half of drivers would not spend more on a new car to ensure it had AEB, ISA or LKA, highlighting how the EU’s regulatory action will help deliver the life-saving potential of these technologies for all.

Brake also asked drivers their views on what should happen to our vehicle safety standards post-Brexit and the response was categorical, more than 9 in 10 want car safety standards in the UK to remain at least as high as those across the EU, post Brexit.

Commenting, Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: ‘This is a landmark day for road safety. These measures will provide the biggest leap forward for road safety this century, perhaps even since the introduction of the seat belt.

He added: ‘The Government must commit to adopting these lifesaving regulations, no matter what happens with Brexit, with a recent Brake and Direct Line report finding that 9 in 10 UK drivers wanted car safety standards in the UK to remain at least as high as those in the EU, post-Brexit.’

However, AA president Edmund King said the technology could make cars less safe and the ‘best speed limiter is the driver’s right foot’ when used ‘to do the right speed in the right situation’, the Daily Mail reported.

‘The right speed is often below the speed limit, for example, outside a school with children around, but with ISA there may be a temptation to go at the top speed allowed which may not be appropriate,’ he said.

‘Sometimes a little speed also helps to keep safe on the road, for example, overtaking a tractor on a country road or joining a motorway.’