All new cars sold in Europe are required to be equipped with speed limiters from this week – and UK models are likely to have them installed too.
As of Sunday 7 July 2024, new vehicles will need to have Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems fitted as standard as part of an EU safety regulation mandate.
While the same law does not apply in Britain, most models sold in the UK will ultimately have the same speed-limiting technology installed by manufacturers.
We explain how it works, why it is being introduced, if the UK Government is also considering a mandate and explain if you can manually override the system or turn it off entirely.
How does Intelligent Speed Assistance work?
Intelligent Speed Assistance technology, put simply, can restrict a vehicle’s speed automatically.
It uses a combination of GPS data, satellite navigation, 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 limit, the system can ultimately reduce 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 the system intervenes to lower a car’s speed, motorists are initially warned they need to slow down.
The warning is either via a visual alert on the instrument cluster or screen, a short audible warning, or a haptic notification that gently vibrates the steering wheel when the limit is being exceeded. Manufacturers can use a combination of these or all three.
If the alerts are ignored by the driver, the system automatically slows the car by restricting engine power – though at no time does it apply the brakes.
Why the EU has mandated Intelligent Speed Assistance
European Parliament in 2019 agreed to mandate ISA technology to combat excessive traffic collisions and injuries on roads across the continent.
The technology was recommended by the European Transport Safety Council on claims that ISA could 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.
From 6 July 2022, every new model introduced to market for the first time has been required by EU law to have the technology.
But from 7 July 2024, ISA will need to be retrofitted to all new vehicle in showrooms.
This means manufacturers will need to install the tech on some long-in-the-tooth models, such as the VW Touran, which has been on sale in its existing generation since 2015.
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