Speed restrictor -July changes

[rincewind]

I’m keen to get people’s opinion on the up and coming changes as described here, although I have a suspicion that this article has been around for some time and just the date changed.

Mandatory speed limiters on UK cars from July 2024 | AutoTrader

All new vehicles sold in Europe – including the UK – will be fitted with a mandatory speed limiter from 2024 to keep cars within the UK speed limits and boost road safety.

www.autotrader.co.uk

 

[browellm]

Would look forward to it if it can be implemented in the same way Mercedes' version has been on their cars for years.

A lot more practical than setting TACC on busy stretches of road, imo.

 

[Dilly]

It’ll be just a series of bongs if you exceed the speed limit, like on my Prius from twelve years ago. Completely underwhelming and frankly, useless.

It’s been in operation in my car pretty much from new as I recall

 

[Aliomenti]

Would look forward to it if it can be implemented in the same way Mercedes' version has been on their cars for years.

A lot more practical than setting TACC on busy stretches of road, imo.

I agree. It's the one thing I miss from my Kia, set the limiter on 30 in town and not having to constantly check the speedo.

 

[Billbrown1982]

Are that many people not able to just get a feel for your speed and know what your doing with staring at the speedo all day long? The need for speed limiters honestly has always baffled me.

I don't need a speedo to know i'm doing 30. You just get used to how fast things pass you by. Or at least I always have. I drive for a living so maybe thats an advantage but for as long as I can remember its been this way.

 

[djtaylor]

Are that many people not able to just get a feel for your speed and know what your doing with staring at the speedo all day long? The need for speed limiters honestly has always baffled me.

I don't need a speedo to know i'm doing 30. You just get used to how fast things pass you by. Or at least I always have. I drive for a living so maybe thats an advantage but for as long as I can remember its been this way.

*Need* no but then again, there never used to be cameras littered everywhere, just waiting for that one time when you accidentally happened to exceed the limit.
Or as it's more common these days, overgrown foliage obscuring what speed signage there is left such that it's accidentally missed.
TS&GDR now only requires sufficient information for a careful and competent driver in many cases, whereas previously it required 100% correct signage. We're often now in limbo as to what the speed limit might be, camera enforced., with it up to the court to decide if the signage was sufficient, if you dare.
I'll take an aid thanks, you would have a choice not to use it.

 

[GlynG]

I think the most concerning part in the article is the fact everyone with a limiter will be snooped on - how long before NIPs just arrive through the letterbox?

It says in 2025 anonymous data will be collected and analysed to determine how many people use the limiter, how many over ride the limiter, how many have removed the limiter and the numbers then speeding.

So who believes the anonymous data will stay anonymous for too long?

Mod: removed part of post as became very political

 

[Durzel]

Are that many people not able to just get a feel for your speed and know what your doing with staring at the speedo all day long? The need for speed limiters honestly has always baffled me.

I don't need a speedo to know i'm doing 30. You just get used to how fast things pass you by. Or at least I always have. I drive for a living so maybe thats an advantage but for as long as I can remember its been this way.

I've always thought that people bemoaning speed cameras saying they are forced to watch their speedo are using hyperbole disingenuously. As you say if you're a halfway competent driver you ought to have a pretty good idea, to within 10mph I'd say, of how fast you're going, particularly at lower speeds, without looking at the speedo at all.

 

[Redbaron73]

Would look forward to it if it can be implemented in the same way Mercedes' version has been on their cars for years.

A lot more practical than setting TACC on busy stretches of road, imo.

Dellusional.

 

[WllXM]

I've always thought that people bemoaning speed cameras saying they are forced to watch their speedo are using hyperbole disingenuously. As you say if you're a halfway competent driver you ought to have a pretty good idea, to within 10mph I'd say, of how fast you're going, particularly at lower speeds, without looking at the speedo at all.

'Within 10mph" as you said.
But in 20mph zones, you get prosecuted from +4mph... see the issue?

A speed limiter feature would be fairly easy for Tesla to implement
(If speed_limiter = on and current_speed >= max_speed; then disregard accelerator_pedal_input)

and would ease the life of those who are keen to use it. It would at least be much more useful than the ability to make the car fart remotely... developers priorities I guess...

 

[Durzel]

I don't disagree that it would be a good idea to implement it. I was more commenting on @Billbrown1982's post specifically.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

'Within 10mph" as you said.
But in 20mph zones, you get prosecuted from +4mph... see the issue?

That's not accurate information. The prosecution threshold varies from force to force. If you're 1 mph over you could still be prosecuted if you are in a particularly draconian area.
It's also more likely a force will set the threshold lower than "10%+2%" in a 20 zone than, say a motorway.

 

[GlynG]

If speed limiters are to be fitted then I guess no one will ever speed - so, completely redundant speed cameras, Average cameras and a massive loss of revenue for the government from fines, No more insurance companies hiking the premium for speeding points - and no more bans under the totting up points system for speeding anyway, and all SP offences sent to the bin. - So how likely is that?
Just how will the Audi, BMW and Merc brigade get on? My guess is its F*****d their motoring days.

There is no point in spending money on research and fact finding unless there is a possibility of doing something about it, I do agree with @Durzel that a competent driver will roughly know the speed they are doing yet millions incur speeding penalties every year.
The problem i have with cameras is they operate to a fixed standard 24/7 365 days per year - doing 20mph in a 30mph could be dangerous in certain conditions - like Ice, Snow, outside a busy school - but drive through the speed camera and your all OK. likewise, some dual carriageways with a centre dividing section have 40 or 50mph limits, but after midnight and nothing on the road 70mph would be perfectly safe - like 85mph would be fine for most motorways after midnight until 0600hrs ish

However, if the purpose of speed limiters was to prevent speeding then don't dilly dally - make them so they cant be over ridden, make them a part of the MOT, ensure the cars cannot break the speed limits and encode the information into GPS tracking - and update GPS data when road works or temporary restrictions are to be put in place - in this age of technology its just the press of a button.

I know there are occasions where breaking the speed limit is the lesser of two evils but the reasons for this would mainly be a bad decision or bad driving just prior to the the occasion and other reasons maybe would be a statutory defence and the driver would need to argue the point of law.

It all feels like to me, new rules or laws are solely introduced to generate revenue, Introduce methods to make things comply but allow an individual the option to override, its not about safety - its about money. Governments don't think short term, this year next year or the year after - they are planning for 10 years plus.
Take the expanded ULEZ, The science doesn't back up the rhetoric of Sad IQ, Large swathes of roads have the cameras with ANPR - You can drive the most polluting car you like providing you pay £12.50, some people cant afford to swap cars in order to comply, Sad IQ himself has three Range Rovers - but he can afford to pay (I'll bet he doesn't though)

Once all cars have speed limiters and therefore tracked how easy will it be for charging per mile?

 

[browellm]

Mad that Mercedes Benz have had a speed limiter fitted on their cars for over 20 years and the sky didn't fall in.

People would do well to research how it works, how it's voluntary to set, how it's defeatable even when it is set. Perhaps 15 minutes set aside rather than perpetuating their tragic little culture wars that aren't even relevant to the discussion.

 

[randompixel]

Once all cars have speed limiters and therefore tracked how easy will it be for charging per mile?

This is going off-topic here but read a very interesting comment piece this week about the inevitability of this and how politically hard it will be to introduce. Summarising; Taxes on fuel and polluting cars raise a not insignificant £35bn (over half the defence budget) for the treasury without people noticing that much and the people that travel more pay more, with the treasury calling fuel taxes "a perfect tax". But EVs don't pollute. You can't charge for their fuel without decoupling it from other electricity usage (hard!). A flat rate VED would lead to a lot of people paying more. Pay per mile would be the fairest replacement to the current system if you want to maintain a similar tax take whilst acknowledging it would be politically very difficult and create a number of "winners" and "losers" from the new policy.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Mod comment: I’ve done a little light editing and pruning of some excessive political rhetoric, it’s not the place whether you agree with what was said or not, and even less so a few days from an election. No doubt some will fear this “censorship” is just wrong, others will welcome the removal.