New EU vehicles to be fitted with speed-limiting tech from 6 July – will Britain follow suit?

New EU rules will see speed-limiting technology made mandatory in all new cars, vans and trucks from next week.

From Wednesday 6 July 2022, all newly launched models – those not already on sale in dealerships – sold in EU countries will need to have Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems installed as standard.

It comes after the European Parliament in 2019 agreed to mandate the tech to combat excessive traffic collisions and injuries on roads. 

However, with just days before it become a legal requirement in EU member states, the UK Government is still yet to confirm if it will be a requirement for motors sold in Britain in 2022. 

So where do we stand in terms of having speed limiters in our cars? 

Are we going to have our speed limited? Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology will be mandatory in all new cars sold in the EU from next week. But the same rules have yet to be signed off for the UK

ISA will determine if a driver is exceeding the limit and  – if so – alert them to slow down. If they ignore this, power will automatically reduced so the speed drops to the legal level

Will Intelligent Speed Assistance be mandatory in new cars sold in the UK in July 2022? 

Mandatory ISA technology has been written into EU law as part of its updated General Safety Regulation that will be introduced on 6 July 2022.

It dictates that all brand new cars, work vehicles and public transport – including buses, vans and trucks – brought to market from this date will need to have ISA installed.

However, new models already in showrooms today won’t need to have the technology retrofitted into them until 7 July 2024, the regulation stipulates. 

These new laws come on the recommendation from the European Transport Safety Council, which said the move will reduce traffic collisions by 30 per cent and casualties by 20 per cent as part of a wider target of achieving zero road deaths by 2050.

And speed is a leading cause of casualties on UK roads, too, with 27 per cent of fatal collisions in 2020 caused by drivers either exceeding the speed limit or travelling too fast for road conditions.

However, the Department for Transport tells us it will not been putting in place the same regulation for mandatory ISA in new cars next week – though suggested it is under consideration. 

A spokesperson told This is Money: ‘The package of European measures known as the General Safety Regulation will not come into effect from July in Great Britain.’

They added: ‘No decision has yet been taken on which elements of the package will be implemented in Great Britain.’

Experts says that while the UK Government is yet to given ISA the green light, drivers in Britain will have little choice as manufacturers will be fitted the technology to car regardless 

The reluctance to enforce the regulation follows comments made by Brexit Opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg earlier this year that  hinted at a Whitehall row over whether Britain should adopt the same rules.

Quizzed in April about a rumoured consultation regarding the EU’s new vehicle safety measures – including a requirement for speed limiters to be fitted to cars – Mr Rees-Mogg intimated his fierce opposition to such a move.

‘It is not a policy that has received collective agreement,’ he told MPs.

Appearing before the House of Commons’ European Scrutiny Committee, Mr Rees-Mogg was then asked whether such plans had been discussed. His response: ‘Depends what you mean by discussed. You can read between the lines my views on this.

‘We are, as a government, a deregulatory government and we are not slavishly following the EU, this is fundamentally important.’

Despite Mr Rees-Mogg’s comments, experts at the RAC expect the technology to eventually come to the UK sooner rather than later.

Jack Cousens, head of road policy, said: ‘The government has yet to make a decision on this, alongside other new in-car technologies such as drowsy driver alarms and automated emergency braking. 

‘Some new cars already have it [all Mercedes models, for example] and as cars are built for both the EU and UK markets, many manufacturers may just produce and sell them here anyway regardless of if they are required or not.’

Dan Powell, Senior Editor at CarSite, agreed, suggesting it was likely that the technology would become widespread, regardless of whether ministers pass the legislation in the UK.

He told This is Money: ‘I think it’s likely it will be introduced. 

‘Many cars in the UK are built to EU spec and this means the technology will be fitted and enabled, regardless if it’s mandatory here or not.’

What is Intelligent Speed Assistance technology?

ISA, put simply, restricts a vehicle’s speed autonomously. 

It uses a combination of GPS data, sat-nav, speed-sign recognition cameras and forward-facing cameras to identify what the speed limit is at any given time and determine if the vehicle is exceeding it.

If the car is travelling over the speed limit, the system can ultimately restrict the engine power until the legal speed is met.

For instance, if you’re driving on the M1, the ISA technology can limit you to a maximum of 70mph.

Before any action is automatically taken, motorists will be warned to lower their speed themselves.

This will be either via a visual alert on the instrument cluster or screen, a short audible warning or a haptic notification by gently vibrating the steering wheel when the limit is being exceeded.

The systems will use GPS, sat-nav, traffic-sign-recognition cameras and forward-facing cameras to identify the speed limit and how fast the vehicle is travelling before it intervenes

If any of these alerts are ignored by the driver, the system will take direct intervention to stop the vehicle from being driven too fast by reducing the available power – though at no time applying the car’s brakes.

Dan Powell believes it will be the first major step towards allowing some form of automated driving on UK roads, though admits it isn’t unlike existing features that have been available in cars for years.

‘Intelligent speed assistance is an important step towards self-driving cars, but some motorists will understandably be concerned about the introduction of this potentially intrusive new tech,’ he explained.

‘Speed limiters are nothing new, they’ve been fitted to cars and vans for 30+ years; however, ISA will bring this to a new level by taking proactive steps to prevent the driver from exceeding the speed limit.’

Can Intelligent Speed Assistance be turned off and overridden?

Under the EU’s new regulation, ISA can be turned off by the driver.

That said, the system will automatically activate each time the engine is started, meaning motorists will need to switch it off at the start of every journey.

How difficult this will be is not yet clear, with no suggestion if there needs to be a single button somewhere on the dashboard or if the driver will activate and deactivate it via the options menu in an infotainment system.

However, ISA can still be overridden even when it is switched on.

Drivers will not only be able to  turn ISA tech off before a journey but also override it if it is activated. By pressing hard on the accelerator pedal, the system will disengage. For how long this will be permitted until ISA becomes a permanent requirement has some sceptics worried 

If a driver pushes hard enough on the accelerator pedal, for instance to complete and overtake, then the system will allow the car to go above the permitted speed for a short amount of time before the alert system reengages.

‘While some people will be understandably nervous about the mandatory introduction of ISA, it’s important to note that it can be manually overridden,’ Powell tells us. 

‘Some cars already feature this tech already and feedback from owners is generally positive.’

For how long the option of turning off ISA is permitted is unknown.

Many already fear its introduction is merely a first step towards it becoming compulsory and permanently switched on. 

What are the benefits of Intelligent Speed Assistance?

One of the biggest benefits experts argue for the technology is that it is expected to save lives on the road.

Every 1 per cent increase in speed results in a 4 per cent rise in fatal crashes, but by automatically adjusting the speed to the current limit, drivers are less likely to accidentally exceed it and be involved in a collision.

It will also cut journey time: if ISA can reduce the number of crashes, it will also cut the number of traffic jams that follow them. 

It could also reduce travel times on busy roads, where cars can automatically slow down before the congested area in order to keep traffic moving steadily.

Faster driving also consumes more fuel and causes more emissions, but by limiting a drivers’ speed, cars would become more efficient and less polluting, which would improve overall air quality in major cities.

The AA’s Jack Cousens suggests the technology could be helpful to teach better driving habits. 

He said: ‘Drivers may see this as a helpful tool to remind them of the speed limit, but we should remember that the best way to regulate speed is through the driver’s right foot.’

The speed-limiting technology could reduce the number of fatal car accidents and cut journey times, experts claim

The drawbacks of Intelligent Speed Assistance

Unfortunately, the technology comes with a few concerns for drivers, from the amount of control the driver has over the vehicle to the reliability of the tech.

While the European Commission reassures drivers that it can be ‘smoothly overridden’, currently drivers can only override the ISA system by depressing the accelerator beyond the system’s limits.

This raises concerns over the responsiveness of the driver and the technology in an emergency.  

Another potential issue is that ISA could lead to drivers becoming more reliant on the technology and less aware of their surroundings, which could cause issues if a driver uses a vehicle that doesn’t feature this tech. 

There are also concerns about the capabilities of the tech given the inconsistencies with road furniture and GPS signals. 

Speed sign recognition cameras are not infallible and can make mistakes if they misread a sign that is worn, damaged or covered by overgrown trees and bushes, which could lead to dangerous mistakes being made on the road.

There could also be issues if there are no signs in place on certain stretches of road, which could confuse the tech, for instance on slip roads between motorways. 

A GPS signal can sometimes be difficult to obtain in rural parts of the UK, which means some important steps will need to be taken to ensure the technology behind ISA is 100 per cent reliable.

German automotive vehicle assessment specialist, ADAC, recently put ISA to the test in a Ford S-Max MPV and found that it was accurate for around 90 per cent of the time. However, that wasn’t using UK roads, where signage and conditions are somewhat different. 

The technology is also not aware of variable driving conditions, as Jack Cousens warns that drivers will still need to be aware of their surroundings and the condition of the road.

He said: ‘ISA works across all speed limits, but is only an assistance tool to help drivers stay within the limit. 

‘Drivers will still need to be aware of the speed limit, control their own speed and drive according to the conditions. 

‘Just because you are on a motorway doesn’t mean you should still drive at 70mph if it’s pouring with rain.’

Overall, Intelligent Speed Assistance is a potentially beneficial technology that could help reduce accidents and save lives. If implemented correctly, ISA systems could be a strong step in the direction of autonomous vehicles.

Whether you’re excited about the prospect of ISA systems or not, it looks like we will all be driving cars that control the speed at which we travel in the next few years.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk