Drivers have been warned of new legislation which could see their car fitted with speed limiters that keep tabs on whether the vehicle is breaking the law.
The intelligent speed assistance can automatically slow down a vehicle if a driver is exceeding the speed limit on UK roads.
The requirement comes into effect from July 6 with all cars needing to have the mandatory safety feature installed.
The technology uses GPS and traffic sign data to issue a warning to drivers when they are going over the speed limit on the road they're travelling on.
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Mandatory changes come into effect July 6
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Under new European Union rules all cars sold in UK showrooms could be required to have ISA fitted, regardless of where the vehicle was manufactured.
Graham Conway, managing director at Select Car Leasing, said: “While it might seem like an innocent change to the car’s set-up, doing so could have serious implications.
“A car is fitted with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems like ISA for a very good reason, and a manufacturer could take a very dim view of that technology being bypassed.
“You could very easily void a manufacturer’s warranty by doing so.”
Dr David Hynd, chief scientist at Transport Research Laboratory explained that he prefers to keep the ISA turned on in his car all the time.
He stated: “It stops me getting speeding fines. It saves me money on my fuel bill, which is always very welcome. But, best of all, it provides an extra set of eyes, which I find particularly helpful when I’m navigating new places, or the roads are busy.
“ISA gives me head space and that makes me a better driver. On a motorway, I use ISA in conjunction with cruise control, and have been pleasantly surprised by how much less tired I am after a long journey when using this system.”
According to Brake, the road safety charity, every day five people die on the road and 82 people are seriously injured, showing the need for stronger measures to be put in place.
The changes to the European speed laws means that even though the UK has opted out of activating the safety measure, all new cars will still need to be fitted with them.
We Buy Any Car explained that the definition of speed limiter is “flexible” with not all devices physically slowing down a vehicle when the driver reaches the legal speed limit.
The car seller said there are three main form of ISA’s, an informative or advisory one, which prevents speeding by showing a warning symbol or alert if the car succeeds the road speed limit.
Another one is a supportive or warning ISA which increases upward pressure on the accelerator pedal, making it harder to push down on the pedal.
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Three types of ISA speed limiters
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Finally, there is an intervening (or mandatory) ISA which reduces the engine power if a driver is speeding.
This type of speed limiter works similarly to a cruise control system by ensuring the vehicle does not exceed a certain speed.
