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All cars to be fitted with speed-limiting AI due to new EU rules

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5 months ago

July 14, 2024

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All cars to be fitted with speed-limiting AI due to new EU rules

ALL cars will now have to be fitted with speed-limiting AI tech due to new EU rules.

The new gadget can, in some cases, slow the vehicle down for you if it catches you breaking the speed limit.

Speed-limiting tech will be required on all EU cars from todayCredit: Getty

Intelligent Speed Assitance (ISA) systems became a legal requirement for motors across the EU as a law passed two years ago came into effect on July 7.

ISAs make use of AI, GPS data and even onboard cameras to assess your speed in real time as you drive along.

The system will then intervene if you go above the limit it has worked out for the road you are on.

For example, the system can assess things like road markings to determine whether you are in a 20mph or 30mph zone.

From there, there are three types of ISA which firms could opt to install, with each offering different levels of intervention.

First of all, informative ISAs only result in a warning message and sound to alert the driver that they are breaking the limit.

One level up from that is the supportive ISA, which works by increasing the upward force on the accelerator pedal to try and make it harder for drivers to speed up.

Finally, intervening ISAs are the most active, with the system actually slowing the vehicle down, whether the driver wants it to or not, until it goes back under the limit.

Officials have emphasised that, for safety, this would be achieved by temporarily shutting off part or all of the engine and will not result in a sudden application of the brakes.

The law is now in force in all EU member states – but there is a loophole for Brits.

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The UK has opted out of the law under the post-Brexit agreement with the bloc, meaning that ISAs will not be legally required on British roads.

All cars here will, in effect, have to have them fitted as it is too complicated and expensive for manufacturers to design cars separately for the EU and UK markets.

However, drivers in Great Britain will be able to turn the system off or override it by continuing to press the accelerator.

As such, it is unlikely that cars slowing down of their own accord will be a common site for now.

That being said, the requirement will still have legal force in Northern Ireland because it remains aligned with the EU single market under the Windsor Framework.

It comes after we revealed how drivers could avoid being hit with £100 parking fines thanks to a little-known loophole.

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The devices will be able to work out whether or not you’re wearing a seatbelt or using a phone and can even be used to check who is behind the wheel.

Using multiple lenses and AI tech, the cameras automatically analyse the images they capture for driving offences.

If any are detected, the image will be saved and sent off immediately to the police force responsible for that stretch of road.

This includes offences committed by passengers, such as distracting the driver through mobile phone use.

And, of course, they can also tell when you’re going over the speed limit.

This could see more drivers receiving fines, licence points and bans for crimes that would previously have gone undetected.

A trial of similar tech in Cornwall last year saw a whopping 300 Brits caught out within just three days.

Since then, the cameras have been tried out in areas including Greater Manchester, Sussex and Durham with similar results.

The RAC has backed the move, saying that a “lack of enforcement” was making UK roads more dangerous for law-abiding drivers.

The Club’s spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Despite the penalties for using a handheld phone having doubled to six penalty points and a £200 fine seven years ago, it’s clear far too many drivers are still prepared to put lives at risk by engaging in this dangerous practice.

“We suspect a major reason for this is a lack of enforcement, meaning many drivers have no fear of being caught.

“AI-equipped cameras that can automatically detect drivers breaking the law offer a chance for the tide to be turned.

“The police can’t be everywhere all of the time, so it makes sense that forces look to the best available technology that can help them catch drivers acting illegally.”