Should Speed Limiters be Mandatory on All Cars?
In 2017, national statistics revealed 2.02 million speeding tickets were handed out in England and Wales. This was an increase of 48,000 compared to 2016. Nowadays, most speed limit offences are now being caught on automated cameras. Currently, if motorists are found guilty of speeding, they receive a minimum penalty of a £100 fine and 3 penalty points added to their licence. However, there has been overwhelming backing for harsher punishments and stricter laws to hopefully discourage drivers from speeding. The aim is to make our roads safer and reduce the number of accidents.
Mandatory Speed Limiters
European leaders have recently approved plans that all new cars sold from 2022 must be fitted with a range of safety measures. One of the main safety measures will be mandatory speed limiters, called intelligent speed assistance (ISA), fitted in all new cars. It is hoped that these limiters will help to reduce the number of accidents on our roads and save thousands of lives. Other mandatory features may include autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist and a driver fatigue detection system, just to mention a few. This is a major leap forward in the efforts to make our roads safer.
Speed Limiter
Volvo's Recent Announcements
In a recent announcement, Volvo was the first car manufacturer to announce it will limit the top speed of all of its cars to 112mph from 2020. Volvo are supporting the aim to improve drivers' behaviour on our roads. Shortly after this announcement, Volvo also revealed plans to make the 'Care Key'standard on all Volvo cars from model year 2021. This feature will allow any Volvo buyer to set a speed limit on their car for themselves, their family members or friends.
Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars’ President and Chief Executive, said “We believe that a car maker has a responsibility to help improve traffic safety. Our recently announced speed limit fits that thinking, and the Care Key is another example.”
So what do you think about the plans to make speed limiters mandatory in all cars? Is it a good idea or do you feel alternative methods would be a better way to tackle the issue of speeding?
