New Cars in the EU Now Equipped With Nagging Speed Limiters

Kieran Kelly, reporting for LBC:

New cars that are sold in Europe from this week will host automatically-installed speed limiters, following the introduction of a new EU law.

Even though the rule to install the technology does not apply in the UK, many of the cars will have been made in Europe and so will feature the Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) anyway.

The technology allows the car to automatically restrict its speed based on GPS location, speed-sign recognition and cameras within the vehicle. This is not done simply by applying the brakes, which could be dangerous, but by gradually reducing the engine’s power. However, drivers will first get a warning that they are driving too fast and be told to slow down before the measure takes affect.

When a friend sent me this link, I thought at first that LBC was some sort of Onion/Babylon Bee-style parody site. But no, this is real. Any politician in the U.S. seeking to end their career should propose similar legislation here.

In the EU, drivers will be able to turn off the system every time they start their car. It cannot be permanently shut off.

I take back my complaint that the EU no longer innovates in technology. They brought the EU cookie-consent web experience to cars. Nonstop pointless nagging and annoyance.

★ Tuesday, 9 July 2024