EU to mandate Intelligent Speed Assistance from 2022

The technology uses a combination of cameras and GPS to detect the speed limit for a given stretch of road, then inhibits engine power to ensure drivers don’t stray over the limit. ISA can be overridden temporarily, for example when overtaking, by pressing the accelerator hard to the floor. The system can also be disengaged, though it will be operational by default every time a vehicle is started. It is estimated that widespread adoption could reduce the EU’s 25,000 road fatalities by around 20 per cent.

ISA is just one of several safety features the EU plans to introduce under its revised General Safety Regulation, the details of which have just been agreed. According to the Department of Transport, the UK will also adopt the measures, regardless of the outcome of Brexit. Other mandatory systems for cars under the new regulation will include a warning for driver distraction and drowsiness, cameras/sensors for reversing, advanced emergency braking, lane keeping assistance and a ‘black box’ data recorder for incident reporting.