Speed limiters ‘could be introduced on all cars in UK’ under new legislation

Kieran Galpin

No more Tokyo drifting around Tesco carpark

Thanks to new government legislation looking to shake up safety measures, cars in the UK could very soon be fitted with speed limiters.

After a ruling from the European Union that means newly made cars will be automatically fitted with speed restrictors, the UK may be following suit. According to Metro, the UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency had previously spoken about changing its own laws to match EU regulations.

The Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA) uses GPS tracking and cameras to access speed and then notify the drivers. Manufacturers are able to choose from a range of options, including an alarm system similar to seatbelt warnings and a push back function on the accelerate.

But the system is not perfect, and experts have warned that random occurrences on the road would be difficult to account for.

Craig Mackinlay, the Conservative chairman of the Fair Fuel UK Motorists and Hauliers all-party parliamentary group, has not taken kindly to the idea.

“This will completely destroy the luxury car market, and I think there are so many aspects of the anti-driver campaign now that are coming to the fore,” he said. “This is more Big Brother in your cockpit. We’ll see more of this if we go up the route of road pricing.”

He added: “I don’t think people have thought of the freedom aspects of all of this. It just sounds very unconservative.”

Similarly, Greg Smith from the Commons transport select committee said: “We’ve got a well-established system of people taking their driving test, understanding the law, proving they can drive properly and then being trusted to do so, with harsh penalties if they don’t.

“Anything that then seeks to layer in more distrust of the state of its citizens to be able to do what is sensible, legal and practical is just unnecessary nannying.”

The Department for Transport has also emphasised that no decisions have been made as of yet.

“The UK’s departure from the EU provides us with the platform to capitalise on our regulatory freedoms,” a spokesperson from the Department of Transport said.

“We’re currently considering the vehicle safety provisions included in the EU’s General Safety Regulation and will implement requirements that are appropriate for Great Britain and improve road safety.”