alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

All cars could be fitted with devices that stop them going over 70mph, under new EU road safety measures which aim to cut deaths from road accidents by a third.
EU plans to fit all cars with speed limiters - Telegraph

This is something to be feared. There are important people in the US and Canada that like to implement European ideas (good and bad) on this side of the pond. The lump all traffic deaths into a pool and then want to implement speed limits where the fewest accidents occur (deaths / mile traveled).

Allch Chcar

It's not unusual for a commercial vehicle to have a really low rev limiter, of say 72mph. I don't see a problem in requiring it unless they try to extend it further to non-commercial vehicles. Other than the premise is pretty weak.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

According to the article, all new cars will have it built in. And, present ones will have to have it retrofired in. It will certainly destroy the mystique of the autobahn.

MattMPS

it will NEVER happen.

Germany is the most powerful country in EU, and its automotive industry is the main business area, and they don't build small, underpowered cars.

there are more chances to have a speed limit over the whole germans autobanh....

bse50

Retrofit it to my cars? They'd have to kill me first.

Cut the number of driver licenses and kick Romania, Poland and Bulgaria out of the EU since their drivers are responsible for most of the deaths here.

Besides, who would buy a Ferrari F12 or 458 Italia limited to 130km\h?

j9fd3s

japan has had a speed limiter in their cars for decades, as you might have noticed its easy to defeat...

kevinande

I don't think it will happen here. Every city in America will lose a revenue source. I have always said that if they (big brother) wanted safety as a priority they would simply demand the cars not go so fast. Technology today would allow you to put a transponder on every speed limit sign in America, which could relay to the vehicle the maximum allowed speed in that zone. No more speeding, no more cops hiding in ditches, no more money for said city. Fact it city's like speeders, keeps the revenue flowing. Of course people will find a way around it. Heck automakers would probably make it easy to defeat and use it as a selling point.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

In fact, the ODB III standard (think OnStar with a little more muscle) will accomplish this.

kevinande

I was pretty sure the technology existed. How do you explain to a potential customer who is interested in an $80,000 400 hp supercharged car that it will only go 70 MPH top speed?

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Either, it will get to 70 very fast or they will quit making those cars due to lack of demand.
The geeks/hackers will win this war.

Allch Chcar

Not everyone is a boyracer who feels a need to drive fast and show off. In fact the boyracer stereotype is part of the problem. The Super-rich who need a fast car can find something else to waste their money on.

monchie

At least you won't get speeding tickets anymore...lol

ARK

Glad there isn't any real talk of this here in the US. I wish people would understand this simple fact:

Speed does not kill. Bad driving does.

It's common knowledge the German autobahn is one of the safest highway systems in the world. German drivers tend to be less distracted and better trained than most others, generally speaking.

The problem should be tackled at the other end: better driver training, better enforcement of distracted driving laws (and more of them), and improvement of anti-collision technology. All of that works. Putting a speed cap will not change Joe Schmoe driving 65 mph in a Tahoe on the phone eating a big mac while fiddling with his ipod. He's much more dangerous than me driving 85 in the RX8, both hands on the wheel, no distractions.

Agreed that won't happen here due to the loss in revenue.

Rootski

iTrader: (1)

If it comes to our shores I'll learn to hack it and charge $$$ for it.

fastlaneracing

Haven't heard about it and it wont happend.

Car, gas and oil industry is still to powerfull to get controlled like this and if it happends well... it isent hard to get rid of it and fewer will be driving fast = win win? as long as I can go fast I dont care ;-)

ken-x8

No, but most of us prefer cruising at the traditional 9 mph above the posted speed limit. Or being able to quickly pass a car that's going 3 mph under the limit on a two lane road.

Ken

Mazurfer

They need to install jammers for cellphones say within 4 feet of the steering wheel(whilst car is in motion) first.

I know it's different(so to speak), but I've had a few rentals lately that wouldn't allow you to set the cruise above 70. You could get about 73 out of it if you set it at 69mph and then bumped it up 1mph at a time, but if you bumped it past 73, it went off.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

I had a Chrysler Town & Country that wouldn't let you set the cruise higher than 86 mph.... and that is how fast I went across Nebraska.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

That's 180 km/h, at least. That's well above the highest legal limit in most places. In Japan, there really aren't a ton of high speed roads anyway. My car maxes out at 140 km/h, but most roads around me only go up to 50 km/h limits.

This is a bit of an oversimplification and is a little misleading. Obviously there are safe limits for any car or area and exceeding those limits will increase risks. Then there are factors that may be out of the control of the driver. Also, collisions at higher speeds are more significant.

Saying speed doesn't play a role is inaccurate.

J8635621

iTrader: (10)

Speed alone does not kill though. Speed beyond the limits of the car or situation is bad driving.

ken-x8

Right. And the EU should be mandating situation limiters, not speed limiters.

Ken

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

My point was that it does contribute and you can't always account for every situation. A random patch of ice or gust of wind could be completely unexpected cause an accident. Speed still plays a role, regardless of the reason of the crash. If all accidents occurred at 10 mph, a lot less people would die in car crashes. You could argue that just crashing doesn't kill either. Without speed/momentum, most crashes would do very little. You can't reasonably claim that speed is not a major contributing factor.


Realistically, there's not much of a case against the idea of limiters assuming they are just at a fixed point somewhat above the top speed limits. I believe the highest speed limit in the US is 85. There's not really much of an argument against putting a limiter at 95 or 100 other than people not liking it.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Speed doesn't kill. It's the sudden stops that kill.
If you add together all the factors that cause crashes (speed, impaired drivers, distracted drivers and so on) you come up with these being over 100%, because multiple factors cause accidents.

ASH8

Apparently the US are also re-looking at installing ignition interlocker's in all new cars for Seat Belts, it has been recently reported...All the usual groups of NIMBY's saying it wont happen and civil liberties and the safety aspects of interlocker's, even the speed limited ones, and then what about 'in an emergency' use of a car.

I would have thought speed cameras (fixed and mobile) penalties are more effective than mandating speed limiters, after all limiters don't produce any enforcement revenue like cameras do.

In my home state those caught DUI are forced to install and pay for Breath Test Ignition Interlocker's to stop these ******** from continuing driving while drunk or drug dopey..

We are also getting fixed multi line/lane camera's which reads every license plate for registration/insurance and at the same time for speeding, as of last month get caught without registration a $2000 fine, plus speeding from $380+, fail to stop at Stop Light (Camera) $1500, also with speed cameras.

Every patrol car has auto license plate reading/recognition.

Here you cant fart without being fined!!

ken-x8

That's bizarre. Seat belt interlocks were widely hated, and everyone figured out how to override them. Sometimes by making the seat belt unusable...which was pretty bad if you were the next guy to get into a rental car someone had buggered.

Seat belt use in the US is now pretty high from being a primary offense, and hence a source of revenue, in a lot of states.

Can I ask where you saw that report? Wondering who needs to be driven out of office.

Ken