A raft of safety technologies that could help reduce accidents on the roads, including speed-limiting systems, will become mandatory in all new European cars.
Provisional political agreement was agreed this week on the proposals, which also include drowsiness and distraction monitoring, as well as lane-keeping assistance.
"Many of the new features already exist, in particular in high-end vehicles. Now we raise the safety level across the board, and pave the way for connected and automated mobility of the future," said European Commission (EC) commissioner El?bieta Bie?kowska.
ISA technology will limit vehicle speed
The measure expected to have the biggest impact on reducing car fatalities and injuries is Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology, which limits the speed at which a vehicle can travel. Non-profit organisation the European Transport Safety Council stated that ISA is expected to reduce collisions by 30 per cent and deaths by 20 per cent. Speed-limiting technology automatically limits the engine power to prevent the vehicle from accelerating past a particular speed. However, the driver can override the limit, for example if they need to overtake another vehicle at speed.
A video camera that recognises speed-limit signs works together with GPS-linked speed limit data to tell drivers how fast they are travelling, and enacts a system that actively limits the vehicle's speed.
Measures require further approval
The 15 road safety measures will require fo...