Technology

EU Plans To Stop Speeding With ‘Intelligent Speed Assistance’ Technology

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New cars sold in the European Union may require technology to prevent speeding and record accident data starting in May 2022.

The EU‘s executive commission agreed Tuesday to mandate technology be installed in all new cars after 2022 that would utilize video cameras and GPS data to detect when drivers go over the speed limit, then reduce engine power to slow the car, The Associated Press reported.

The driver could temporarily disable the system by pressing hard on the accelerator for events where excessive speed is required, like passing.

The package is called “Intelligent Speed Assistance” and in addition to speed control, other features include a vehicle data recorder (which works like an airplane’s black box), a drowsy driver warning system, backup cameras and sensors, blind spot object detection, a built-in breathalyzer, and emergency braking obstacle avoidance for vans and cars, according to the AP.

“Every year 25,000 people lose their lives on our roads,” Elzbieta Bienkowska, the European commissioner responsible for internal market and industry, said in a statement. “We can and must act to change this.”

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association is supportive, but it cautioned the EU needs to upgrade road infrastructure and that any system must contend with outdated mapping and poor signage, the AP reported.

The safety rules still require formal approval by member states and the European Parliament. In addition, while the U.K. plans to withdraw from the EU, Britain‘s Department for Transport said it would follow the rules as well, according to The New York Times.

Cars sold before 2022 will not require retrofitting.

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