In three years’ time it should be impossible to drive too fast anywhere with new cars. Then an automatic limiter based on the navigation system becomes mandatory.
Driving faster than is permitted in three years – at least with new cars – will no longer be possible in the European Union, thanks to the introduction of mandatory speed limiters. The speed limiter works with data from the navigation system and adapts the maximum speed of the vehicle to the applicable limits. Models newly introduced from 2022 will be equipped with it as standard, but Europe will also require the software for all new cars sold from 2024.
It is possible to temporarily deactivate the limiter, in case of an emergency or to be able to successfully complete an overtaking action. If you do that, however, as a driver you will hear an annoying sound signal and the car will register where and how much you were driving too fast. It is not clear what happens next with that data.
The automatic limiter is introduced at the urging of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a non-profit organization working to reduce injuries and fatalities from road accidents. According to the ETSC, the limiters will reduce the number of collisions by 30 percent and save 25,000 lives within 15 years of their introduction.