The EU Is Making Speed Limiters And Data Recorders Mandatory By 2024

New cars sold in the European Union must now be equipped with Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology.

“The rollout of ISA is a huge step forward for road safety and has the potential to dramatically reduce road traffic injuries and fatalities. Car manufacturers now have the opportunity to maximize the potential ISA presents for creating safer roads for all,” said the European Commission in a press release.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, it refers to a group of technologies that can identify speed limits on the road using front-mounted cameras, GPS data, or both. Then, depending on the ISA and configuring, the technology can deliver speed limit reminder feedback, alter cruise control to match the road’s speed, or even cut power to the motor to decelerate fast vehicles.

Speed limit assistance systems that rely on GPS mapping and traffic sign recognition are already present in several vehicles in Europe and the United Kingdom. However, they must currently be switched on by the driver. Under the new EU legislation, ISA will be enabled by default, while drivers can disable the systems for now.

Manufacturers can choose how their systems inform drivers of a speed limit violation under the new EU General Safety Rule. Acoustic and vibrating warnings, haptic feedback via the accelerator pedal, and actively slowing the automobile are all options that must be implemented.

For the time being, the ISA technology will only be applicable to all-new models introduced after July 6, 2022. New cars already on the market will have until July 2024 to be ISA-equipped.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) is a major supporter of ISA, claiming that it will cut accidents by 30% and road fatalities by 20%. Furthermore, the EU has set a goal of achieving zero road deaths by 2050.

It is estimated that ISA and other ongoing measures such as standard autonomous emergency braking (AEB) might avert 140,000 major road traffic injuries by 2038.