Speed Limiters

[BigBoomer]

FYI these are currently planned to be mandatory on all new cars from 2022. 

https://www.confused.com/on-the-road/safety/speed-limiters-mandatory-on-new-cars

I'm guessing that will boost 2nd hand car prices. 😁

[NemesisUK]

Interestingly there was another EU report that showed something like 94% of all RTA happened at or below the speed limit. So I don't see this as being a major contribution to reducing accidents.

The system can be overridden by 'firmly' pressing the accelerator, much in the same way one can currently with the likes of the Mercedes soft limiter. One can simply switch it off too and it will remain off until the IGN is cycled, just as one can the majority of Stop/start systems..

Video and GPS detection of speed limits.. Video can be confused by poor sign positioning and there have been many reports of the system reading the max speed signs on the back of trucks! I wonder how the GPS aspect will deal with locally imposed temporary limits? 

An interesting little read..

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812500/vehicle-speed-compliance-statistics-2018.pdf

[ColinBarber]

5 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Interestingly there was another EU report that showed something like 94% of all RTA happened at or below the speed limit. So I don't see this as being a major contribution to reducing accidents.

EU site speed as one of the main reasons for causing deaths and it is an EU ruling that will require new vehicles to have speed limiters in 2022 onwards.

[John N]

Mine already has a speed limiter fitted. 

I think it's set to 155 mph but it's never worked.

I may go and test it later!

John N

[BigBoomer]

None of this is helped by hugely inaccurate speedometers.
In my 2004 LS it shows 33Mph on the dash when my GPS shows 30Mph (confirmed by a radar speed sign) and 76Mph when GPS shows 70Mph.
My motorcycles show 35/78Mph (1989) and 33/77Mph (2007) under the same circumstances.

Speed has become an obsession with road safety people, almost to the exclusion of everything else.
It's something that they can measure easily and cheaply rather than assessing people's driving skills (or lack thereof) that require a value judgement and actual observation of the poor driving, which in turn requires someone there to observe said poor driving.

I'm not a perfect driver by any stretch of the imagination, but some of the idiots I see on a daily basis make me a saint by comparison.
 

[Malc]

2 hours ago, BigBoomer said:

which in turn requires someone there to observe said poor driving.

or indeed to get one out of a dangerously sticky situation when the safest thing to do is to actually go a little faster to get out of the problem !

Malc

[ambermarine]

19 hours ago, Malc said:

or indeed to get one out of a dangerously sticky situation when the safest thing to do is to actually go a little faster to get out of the problem !

Malc

I agree with your synopsis and to all intents and purposes designing lack of acceleration into a vehicle where it is required could be construed in law as a criminal act as it deprives the driver of a option that could prevent serious injury or even death to themselves or others.

The law makers are going to be spending a lot of time on this one before they come up with legislation .

[Neo_gsf]

My car has the Road Sign Assist and always reads this Low Emission Zone sign as 100mph.  Not very reliable at all!