New cars in the European Union are now required to be equipped with an anti-speeding technology called Intelligent Speed Assist, or ISA, as part of an EU regulation that takes effect Wednesday.
Under the regulation, car manufacturers must implement one of several ISA technology options that will be triggered when a driver exceeds the speed limit. The vehicle can alert the driver with a visual warning followed by an audible or vibrating warning; the gas pedal can be slightly pushed back on the driver’s foot; or the car may automatically slow down. The driver can override the latter two functions, EC said, by pressing the gas pedal a little harder.
“The aim is to protect Europeans from road accidents, poor air quality and climate change, to provide them with new mobility solutions that meet their changing needs and to protect the competitiveness of European industry,” said a statement from the European commission.
Some vehicles now include speed warnings, but the driver must manually set them. EU regulation requires the technology to work automatically.
The non-profit European Transport Safety Council, which advocates road safety measures in the EU, said it welcomed the new regulation but that the minimum horn standard was annoying to drivers and inadequate for safety. Also, the ETSC said, cars can collect inaccurate speed information if they are equipped with systems that determine speed limits only by using sign analysis cameras and lack a digital speed limit map.
“Vehicle safety is constantly evolving and there is no reason why these standards will not be reviewed and updated in the near future. We think this is essential,” said ETSC Executive Director Antonio Avenoso.
The ISA is mandatory and comes into effect immediately for new cars when they enter the market, and from July 2024 it will apply to all new cars sold.