British drivers could soon have to contend with speed limiter devices being fitted to their cars if prospective new government plans for motorists go through.
These devices can sound alarms, reduce power to the engine and even push back on the accelerator pedal if they detect that a car is going over the speed limit and it may not be long before they on all newly built vehicles.
The government will be holding consultations over a wide range of possible measures designed to improve road safety, with speed limiters among the options on the table.
However, some MPs are not big fans of the potential for all new cars to be fitted with speed limiter devices, with Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay arguing it would 'completely destroy the luxury car market' and amounted to having 'Big Brother in your cockpit'.
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According to the Daily Telegraph, Mackinlay, who is chairman of the Fair Fuel UK Motorists and Hauliers all-party parliamentary group, described the measures as 'very unconservative' and said it was an aspect of an 'anti-driver campaign'.
Edmund King, president of the AA, warned that there would be chaos if systems were not regularly updated with changes to speed limits on the roads.
He said speed limit data would have to be 'totally accurate' to ensure new cars had the proper reaction and didn't interfere with the driver for no reason.
The Telegraph is also reporting that studies into the effectiveness of speed limiter devices could help reduce road deaths by up to 20 percent.
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Speed limiters can employ a variety of different measures to keep a car under the speed limit, with the manufacturers able to choose what response they would like their device to have to a driver going over the limit.
Some devices use alarms which sound when the car has detected it is over the speed limit, while others include mechanisms which slow the car down by reducing power to the engine or pushing back on the accelerator pedal.
Devices use a mixture of GPS location and traffic cameras to determine which road a car is on and what the speed limit should be.
The EU is making speed limiters mandatory for all new cars sold in Europe from July 6 onwards, and industry experts say it would be 'disastrous' for UK manufacturing if Britain didn't follow the same standards despite not having to do so after Brexit.
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Some car manufacturers, including Citroen, Ford and Jaguar have already begun installing speed limiter devices into the design of their cars.
Topics: Cars
Joe Harker