The decision to adopt EU road safety rules that make equipment including voluntary speed limiters mandatory on new cars by mid-2022 has been given the thumbs-up by IAM RoadSmart.
The proposal, which will also bring a host of other safety features for cars and lorries, was made in March and has now been rubber-stamped by the EU. The new regulation looks set to be applied in the UK too, with the Department for Transport (DfT) having previously said new EU rules that have been provisionally agreed would apply to the UK despite Brexit.
The latest news has been welcomed by IAM RoadSmart, which supported the idea when it was originally proposed eight months ago, saying it would save countless lives.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “We welcomed these proposals earlier this year so it is great to see they will actually happen.
“Speed limiters will still be voluntary so you don’t have to use them, but they could save your licence if you do.
“Although all new cars from 2022 will be enabled to have an alcolock, it will be up to the UK government to decide how they are used. We see them as a useful tool for repeat drink-drive offenders to get them back to safe driving after a ban. It is very unlikely that the vast majority of the law-abiding public will ever have to blow in a tube to start their car.”
Other EU proposals to improve road safety to be implemented by 2022 include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which can detect and react to pedestrians and cyclists in front of the vehicle, lane keeping assistance systems and new technology to detect distraction and drowsiness.
New lorries will also be expected to have better levels of direct vision to give drivers a better chance of seeing vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
