From July automatic ‘speed limiter’ in new cars mandatory

Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA)

With more and more measures, the European Union wants to make traffic safer and drastically reduce the number of road deaths and serious road injuries. A considerable number of driver assistance systems are already mandatory in cars and there is yet another one: Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA).

This smart speed assistant is mandatory in every newly developed car from 6 July. From July 2024, all newly sold cars must be equipped with this system. According to the EU, ISA can prevent an estimated 25,000 road fatalities and some 140,000 serious injuries per year.

How does ISA work?

ISA uses existing assistance systems such as cruise control, the navigation system, traffic sign recognition and the speed limiter. These systems pass on the speed limit on the road where you are driving to ISA. If you are speeding, the speed assistant warns you by means of a flashing light, sound or even by slowing down the car slightly or increasing the back pressure of the accelerator pedal. In the latter case, you can simply press the accelerator more deeply if you want to drive faster.

The system cannot be fully applied to the brakes and you can simply switch it off, just like most safety systems. You have to do that every time you start the car, because the system is always on by default.

Black box

In addition, new cars will soon be equipped with a ‘Black Box’, just like airplanes. Driving data is stored in this black box, which the police and the judiciary may view in the event of an accident. With the data, the authorities can find out exactly what you were doing in your car just before an accident. Car manufacturers are allowed to use this data for analysis of traffic behaviour.

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