New cars in Europe should have intelligent and automatic speed limiters

Fines for speeding could be forgotten in Europe in a few years. And has the European Parliament reached an agreement to implement, starting in 2022, a series of safety measures for new cars, which must be equipped, inter alia, with technology enabling drivers to compulsively comply with speed limits

Vehicles must have speed limiters Intelligent Speed ​​Assistance (ISA), a system that combines GPS speed limiters with smart cameras and traffic light recognition, to limit the speed of the vehicle on the roads. In other words, cars will limit their speed automatically when they drive through streets, avenues, roads or highways.

The measure is one of the ones approved this morning and they should now continue processing at the European Commission before it comes into force in 2022. In addition to the ISA, new cars must include: reversing cameras or parking sensors. ; autonomous emergency braking (AEB); event data logger (sort of "black box" of cars); drowsiness and distraction monitors; Assistance in the maintenance of the tracks; improved seat belts; Improved glazing for an automated emergency shutdown system, able to detect not only pedestrians, but also cyclists, and improved vision for trucks, which means that drivers will have a wider field of vision around the vehicle.

In addition, cars must have pre-installed wiring for anti-alcohol breath-holding devices for those who have already been convicted of driving while intoxicated.

Drivers can override the system by pressing hard on the throttle, in case they double another driver. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has asked all cars to have a switch to enable or disable the ISA, although the function is automatically activated at each start. of the vehicle.

If the driver exceeds the limit, the car will tell you immediately to slow down. If you stay on your plate for several seconds, an alert sounds for a few seconds and displays a visual warning until the vehicle meets the limit.

The details have not yet been finalized, so it is likely that the European Council will insist on eliminating the shutdown switch once motorists get used to the systems. The measures must be formally approved by the European Parliament and the EU Member States in September. They will come into effect from May 2022 for models not yet approved for production and May 2024 for new cars currently in production. sale

The European authorities estimate that the limiters will reduce road accidents by 30%, which would save up to 25,000 lives in the first 15 years once their mandatory nature is implemented.

A few days ago, the Swedish automaker Volvo announced that, in cars manufactured from 2020, cameras and sensors will be installed to detect if the driver is intoxicated, drugged or tired.

If you detect that the driver's eyes are closing or moving away from the road for long periods of time, the new Volvo cars will limit speed or park automatically.

Other sensors help determine if the driver does not drive too long, whether he is zigzagging or changing lanes, or reacts slowly to the maneuvers of other drivers. If the driver does not respond to warnings, the Volvo service will contact you directly.

However, Volvo avoided answering the question of whether the police would be informed of the violation of the law.