Government advisors said that the new hi tech device, that controls the speed of a vehicle would cut down accidents, reduce fuel use and the amount of greenhouse gasses being emitted into the environment.
The new technology uses satellite navigation to automatically slow down a car to appropriate speed in given areas. Interestingly, Safe Speed has spoken out against the new gadget, claiming that they would make motorists less careful and too reliant on technology – reducing their attention on the road and driving ability.
Whilst speed limiters are not yet compulsory, the groups lobbying for their use would like to see ministers and car manufacturers promoting them, especially as current speed limiter technology allows the system to be turned off.
I’m always very suspicious of technology that removes control from the driver – and people pay less attention when behind the wheel due to supportive systems. Just look at our erratic use of GPS systems. Trucks drive up narrow streets, people drive their cars into rivers etc etc.
Another concern I have is how the system would work in the real world. Does it suddenly kick in and limit your speed? Would you get a warning? I’d suggest a better system. Rather than technological intervention, how about better education?
It can be very easy to pick up bad habits when on the road – as any learner will testify when seeing ‘experienced’ drivers. Let’s have an information pack sent out to drivers on a yearly basis, along with a regular TV programme demonstrating good driving, proper roadcraft and car control. Hell, they show every other type of driving on the box.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
From what I’ve read about the system and from a demo I saw on the BBC News, the system would work like this:
It would be voluntary – so Gordon Brown isn’t going to come round our houses and force each and every one of us to have them installed, despite what the Daily Mail lead their readers to believe
You can turn it off – there’s a button on the steering wheel (just like cruise control) or there’s a kick down (just like an auto). I’ve seen a few people making comments such as “A lorry suddenly changed lanes and if I hadn’t accelerated away I wouldn’t be typing this comment”. Even with the system installed you could still do this.
It’s quite subtle – A reporter from BBC News drove a car with this system fitted which, as you approached a zone with a lower speed limit, gradually reduced the speed of your car. It doesn’t slam on the brakes as, for example, you go from a 50 into a 30.
My opinion of the system is that while driver education is by far the best option for making the roads a safer place, if I’m not having to pay quite so much attention to how fast I’m going I can pay more attention to what I and others are doing. Which can only be a good thing.
Hi Ian,
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate what you’re saying, but I find it hard to believe that a driver – unless excessively tired or otherwise extremely distracted – can’t tell the difference between doing 50 and 30 mph.
I maintain that road users need to drive at a speed appropriate to road conditions, which includes what others are doing, and how fast they are going (i.e. if everyone else is driving at a crawl, there may well be a good reason, so raging around like a maniac wouldn’t be appropriate).
Perhaps more importantly, do you really think people wouldn’t have to fork out for the system? (Probably) Hideously expensive, a waste of time and borne from a misunderstanding of the statistics.
A report by The Daily Mail shows that only one in 20 road accidents are caused by a driver breaking the speed limit:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-407521/Only-20-road-accidents-caused-breaking-speed-limit.html
A better driving education for all of us is the only worthwhile way forward. In modern cars, we feel safe and some people just drift along in their own little world…
Hey Mr Butterscotch,
I’ve not seen how much the system would cost but if it were so high that it was a factor in preventing drivers buying them then, yeah I agree, there would be little point in making the recommendation for the system let alone getting councils to pay up for mapping their road network.
If it does take off though I expect that it will be integrated into high-end cars cruise control system as standard and filter down to lower end models just like every other bit of electronic kit does.
I agree that an average driver can tell the difference between 30 and 50 – I hope so anyway
. I was only using those speeds to illustrate the point that as you moved from a 50mph zone to a 30mph zone the system wouldn’t simply slam on the brakes and potentially cause someone to crash into the back of you.
And I agree that if we were all better drivers the roads would be a safer place. One of the biggest challenges faced when addressing driver education, though, is that we’re nearly all convinced we’re already excellent drivers. If we get something through the post telling us how to improve our driving, why read it? I’m great already.
It might sound like a fatuous point, but it’s the mindset of just about every driver I know and it’s a really hard barrier to get past.
Finally, I think the committee’s statement about reducing the number of road accidents and deaths played a big part in the negative response to this system. If they’d focused more on its money saving potential – through more efficient fuel consumption and the system’s ability to help you avoid speeding tickets – it would have gone down better. It’s all about the spin.
But, I think it’s fair to say, the government was never going to go down that route
Hey Mr Butterscotch,
do you know a name of a company which is developping this kind of limter?
thanks,
gal.
Hi Gal,
Not sure on this one I’m afraid. Whilst I have found references to the government considering the option, I’m yet to find out who’s actually working on the technology. I’ll put out some intelligence and keep you posted on what I get back.