All new UK and Europe cars will be fitted with intelligent speed assistance limiters from 2022 under tough EU safety rules. Safety campaigners estimated the move will potentially save around 25,000 lives from traffic collisions in the first 15 years.
The measures are likely to be approved by the European Parliament and the EU states in September this year. The legislation is due to come into effect from May 2022 for models that have not yet been approved for production and May 2024 for new cars currently for sale.
Although Britain may no longer be part of the EU when the rules come into effect, the UK regulator, the Vehicle Certification Agency, has said it will mirror safety standards for vehicles in the UK.
The move is just one of several new safety measures that are expected to be approved by the European Parliament in September. Cars will have to have data loggers, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, driver fatigue detection and reversing cameras or sensors.
The driver will be warned to reduce their speed when they are breaking the law and an alert will sound and a visual warning will be given until the car is at or below the given speed limit.
Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the ETSC said, “If last night’s agreement is given the formal green light, it will represent another of those moments, preventing 25,000 deaths within 15 years of coming into force.”
Brake’s campaigns director Joshua Harris said: “This is a landmark day for road safety. These measures will provide the biggest leap forward for road safety this century.”
AA president Edmund King told, “There is no doubt that new in-car technology can save lives and there is a good case for autonomous emergency braking to be fitted in all cars.”
>Juthy Saha
