The EU wants to fit all cars with speed controllers.

Talk about the nanny state run wild. The EU wants to put speed limiters on all cars. Either they will have a maximum speed of 70 mph or they would have cameras that read speed limit signs and don't allow drivers to go over the posted limit.

EU plans to fit all cars with speed limiters

Under the proposals new cars would be fitted with cameras that could read road speed limit signs and automatically apply the brakes when this is exceeded.

Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, is said to be opposed to the plans, which could also mean existing cars are sent to garages to be fitted with the speed limiters, preventing them from going over 70mph.

The new measures have been announced by the European Commission’s Mobility and Transport Department as a measure to reduce the 30,000 people who die on the roads in Europe every year.

Telegraph

Right now, the Transport secretary doesn't support it because he says it infringes on driver freedom and his home state of Britain has a much better safety record than Germany but, who's to say this couldn't be shoved through by the bureaucrats in Brussels.

I could see them trying this over here in the US as well eventually, probably as an effort to control fuel usage and "save the planet" or some such line of bull.

reply to post by FortAnthem


The maximum speed limit in the UK is 70mph anyway. But I think it wouldn't hurt to have such technology built in vehicles. If it makes traffic safer and saves lives I'm all for it.

However, I doubt vehicles in the UK will be fitted with limiters, catching speeding drivers is a gold-mine for local authorities with revenue generated from all the on-the-spot speeding fines. Drivers are an excellent source for extorting hoards of cash from with this guaranteed money-making racket, I can't see them putting a stop to that in a hurry.

SAY NO!!!

We have them in our lorries, we cant go over 56mph.

Suppose your overtaking and a situation arises where you need to put your foot down to reach to safety!
It's basically interfering with a drivers ability to control the car, its a bad move. Also we'll see the problems like we see on our motorways with the speed limited lorries, where one lorry spends 15 minutes getting past another lorry, and everything trying to get past those lorries is forced to use the one remaining lane, and that causes accidents.

With safety reasons in mind on the other side of the argument, what if you need to speed up for what ever reasons... Do people really need to have their hands held? Seems like more currently there's a push to keep people from driving. A current study had shown, In the US, that people drive less.
People that I know, who do not drive can't afford it, others don't want to have to deal with all of the rules and regulations thrown at that to be behind the wheel. While the issues about the excessive rules vs freedom rules doesn't seemed to be discussed in such as the study and sources, it still stands. In some places people lobbied to haver the red light cameras removed. How about on some freeways(US and Canada), where planes monitor speed from above, sending you a ticket in the mail? You didn't get the mail and you found you're licensed revoked...wow. Driving once meant freedom for many now just a hassle. Less drivers... more control... mission accomplished.

reply to post by FortAnthem

Yeah, everybody should be free to drive as fast as they want and endanger others on the road through their stupidity.

When people use common spaces, steps must be taken to minimize the damage people can do to one another, when some "Stupid Element" cannot exercise self control and common sense, there have to be steps taken.

I would like to see that happen in the U.S. to control some of the stupid assholes I see on the road every day, if you can't manage your time well enough not to have to hurry, maybe you should just #ing stay at your goddamned house and reduce the carnage on the road.

I hate driving, it's an addiction, not a necessity unless you're particularly uncreative and LAZY, like most American's.

I do have a car by the way, I consider a tool, tools are to be used when needed, not to drive to the corner to buy a bottle of Mt. Dew 2 blocks away like my stupid kids did, and yeah, it pissed me off. I rode my bicycle 20 miles one way to buy Gatorade mix, just got back 30 minutes ago, I feel godlike, exercise makes me high, and it saves me health club fees, and gas isn't an issue....

Originally posted by doobydoll
reply to post by FortAnthem

 

The maximum speed limit in the UK is 70mph anyway. But I think it wouldn't hurt to have such technology built in vehicles. If it makes traffic safer and saves lives I'm all for it.

However, I doubt vehicles in the UK will be fitted with limiters, catching speeding drivers is a gold-mine for local authorities with revenue generated from all the on-the-spot speeding fines. Drivers are an excellent source for extorting hoards of cash from with this guaranteed money-making racket, I can't see them putting a stop to that in a hurry.

edit on 1-9-2013 by doobydoll because: (no reason given)

What you just said is 100% true. There have been reports of cities removing their red-light cameras because of the amount of revenue they've lost, because people stopped running red lights.

While I personally think that the sign scanning camera technique is a great idea in theory, we'll still see a lot of people modifying their vehicle to remove the programming for that functionality. Also - if someone is in a rush due to an emergency, this would be a terrible thing to have to deal with.

Originally posted by doobydoll
reply to post by FortAnthem

 

However, I doubt vehicles in the UK will be fitted with limiters, catching speeding drivers is a gold-mine for local authorities with revenue generated from all the on-the-spot speeding fines. Drivers are an excellent source for extorting hoards of cash from with this guaranteed money-making racket, I can't see them putting a stop to that in a hurry.

If there's one thing that will keep this from happening, that's it.

If there's one thing that trumps safety where government is concerned its revenue collection. If it cuts into their tax revenue scheme, they'll throw safety to the wind every time. Look at how they tax the hell out of cigarettes but, wouldn't dare to outlaw them no matter how bad they are for everybody's health.

Everyones going to be late for work

reply to post by WanderingThe3rd


That's only an issue of people not managing their time well enough, simply manage it better to be on time.

SIMPLE!,..... I rode my bicycle 32.75 miles one way to work for SIX YEARS, had to be there at 6 am, some days I got there an hour early, nearly always on time, ponder how early I had to leave....

Yeah, it hurt for about a month, but then it felt GOOD most days.


I think it would be a good idea to have a jammer that keeps the cell-phone from working or texting while the car is moving, and a transponder which senses speed limits by area tied into the speed governor too.

I would be running by y'all on my bicycle, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.......

reply to post by FortAnthem


This is no about safety, anybody that can think this have anything to do with saving lives is a fool.

This is about profiting, corporate take over and money, lots and lots of money, the elite bureaucracy is going to profit from the mandatory fixing of every single vehicle in the roads of the EU, billions and billions of dollars to put the technology into those cars.

They will have cameras, GPS, even alcohol reading devices, you will not be able to even pick your nose, scratch your arse, without been watch, you will buy a car pay with your money and you don't even own the rights to what the car can and no do,because somebody wants to make money.

Is all about money, screw the safety when is soo much money to be made.

reply to post by marg6043

Anything you have to pay registration and taxes on doesn't belong to you anyway.

That's why I prefer riding a bicycle, it's mine, nobody can mess with me unless I don't follow the rules of the road, and on a bike it's kinda dumb to go against the rules of the road anyway.....

I have seen some serious carnage on the road, I mean dead people in the ditch who were ejected from the car because they didn't wear belts, cars buried in heavy woods, cars lying upside down in the median and on their side on the sidewalk.

After a few day late for work, I just quit stopping to call police and kept riding by, I know that sounds harsh, but geez...

Under the proposals new cars would be fitted with cameras that could read road speed limit signs and automatically apply the brakes when this is exceeded.

That just seems like a horrible idea. Way too many things could go wrong. I can kinda see forcing automakers to have a speed limiter but retrofitting so that the brakes are applied? What if some punks decide to hold up some signs on the roadway and shut down traffic? I'm sure there will be precautions but I'm also sure they will be avoidable.

Also, only 1,754 people die annually in the UK (yes I realize the UK is not the entire EU)? I don't want to discount the loss of life but that seems like such a low number. I bet more people die falling down stairs. In the U.S. we're apparently at 40,000 annually.

What about people that race their cars? I'm planning on tracking mine soon. Would there be an option to disable the thing? Not everyone can afford to have a car dedicated to the track and something to tow it.

You really shouldn't be doing over 70 on public roads (do as I say not as I do). There really isn't a great reason for most folks to have cars capable of 100 +. That being said, every time people accept more restrictions it opens the door for the next set. Next it's going to be about distracted drivers and you'll have to have a camera in your car recording you whenever the ignition is on. I don't even think that's far fetched. Think about all the cameras we have up for our own safety now anyway.

reply to post by Domo1

I sometimes throw full bottles and cans of liquids at people driving like fools, and they stop and give me issues and I spray them in the face with dog repellent.

LOL

I don't think anyone should even have a car unless they can prove they need one really. Y'all talk about how much more it costs for this and that, but nobody seems to whine too much about what an utter waste of resources they are, how many people are killed for stupid senseless reasons, just because someone was speeding or not paying attention, yackin on the phone, texting, drinking.

Most people really shouldn't even be on the road at all, and everyone spouts about FREEDOM, Y'all are being taken advantage of to such a ridiculous degree and just love it.

DUH

reply to post by MyHappyDogShiner


I'm like an SR-71 dude. Throw all the missiles you want, I just hit the throttle and they can't catch me.

reply to post by Domo1

it's all good if ya don't stop, and then a couple of times those people who stopped are now friends of mine.

Sometimes they stop to apologize.....Sometimes they try to run me over, I've even been shot at a time or two.

Stuff just doesn't work like on the movies though, lucky for me.

Is it obvious that if what I say is true, that I am a hopeless adrenaline junkie?.

OH YES!!.

There has been a number of times where I had to briefly exceed the speed limit in order to safely complete an overtaking move and having the vehicle hit an artificial speed limiter in those circumstances would have been very bad indeed. An example is the driver I'm overtaking (who's been driving slowly under the limit) decides to speed up and compete when I'm alongside simply to be a pain in the ass and oncoming traffic appears. Too many drivers here do exactly that and are the cause of a lot of fatal head-on collisions.

As for Europe, I'm told that the autobahns have no actual speed limit but your insurance is void if you exceed a certain (quite high) speed. Perhaps a local could clarify that for us but imposing a 110kph limit on such excellent divided roads would be intensely annoying IMO.

Originally posted by MyHappyDogShiner
reply to post by Domo1

 

I sometimes throw full bottles and cans of liquids at people driving like fools, and they stop and give me issues and I spray them in the face with dog repellent.

People who have accidents in cars dont do it intentionally, however!!!! What you do when you throw missiles at people is deliberate and extremely dangerous! I hope the LEO's are tracking your IP.

Just wait till the control center gets hacked and they bring the whole country to a standstill. I'm not sure this is just about money, erm I mean safety. I think this is about CONTROL!

reply to post by FortAnthem

What a stupid idea!
Unneccesary, illogical and un-called for. Typical for the EU.

Speed limits are NOT the problem and we KNOW this for a fact.
Training and "hardware"-quality are the problem.

Statistically we have much less accidents here on our motorways (mostly without speed limits) than anywhere else in the EU, or the US.
There was a thread about road safety on ATS where the numbers were compared but I can't find it right now.

This is not going to pass anyways... German Autoindustry has a very strong lobby here.
(Never thought I'd ever cheer for lobbyism.)

reply to post by betadaze

I love it, my bike just can't be hacked with anything but a saw.

Cars are getting way too close to being literally "Online", soon enough opening the hood yourself will void any warranty........."Do Not Open This Cover, No User Serviceable Parts Within"........

We had a perfectly good mass transportation system in the U.S. once, the "Freedom Machine" that is the automobile was sold to us the same way as "Torches of Liberty" were used to sell women cigarettes in the 1920's, and pretty much as addictive.