Car expert slams new 'speed limit' law being introduced this week as 'bulls**t' and 'less safe'
A car expert has criticised the UK's new 'speed limit' law, calling the move 'bulls**t' and 'less safe'.
Motorists will most likely be well aware about the law coming into effect on 7 July, 2024, which means that any car purchased after this date will automatically come with a speed limiter installed.
With just a few days to go, concerns are being raised about how well the law will work practically, with many drivers sharing their thoughts online.
Now a car expert has come forward and slammed the change, saying he believes the law is 'ridiculous bulls**t'.
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What is the new law regarding speed limiters?
From 7 July, all new cars sold in the UK will need to be fitted with speed limiters - which work exactly how they sound, by limiting speed.
The law has been talked about for a number of years, before finally being passed by the European Union in July 2022. Yes, we're no longer part of the EU but Britain has opted to ratify several driving laws made in Brussels. A lot of our cars are also manufactured on the continent - so there's no escaping speed limiters in newer cars.
As for how speed limiters work, they will either use an Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) system - which relies on cameras to detect traffic signs - or GPS.
The speed limiters also won't be aware of the context of the situation that you're driving in, meaning that it won't matter if you're building speed to join the motorway or overtake another vehicle.
If you drive over the designated limit on the road you're on, you'll either get a warning message or your car will try to slow you down.
Unsurprisingly, it seems the law is not a popular one.
The argument for speed limiters states that forcing drivers to adhere to the maximum limit will make roads safer and reduce collisions.
The European Commission has said: "The driver is always responsible for adhering to the relevant traffic rules.
"The ISA system is a best-effort driver assistance system to alert the driver, whenever possible and appropriate."
However Stuart Masson, from The Car Expert, has argued that a car potentially being at odds with the driver is 'problematic'.
"If you exceed the speed limit by 1mph, you will get a warning beep/message and/or the car will intervene to stop you from going any faster," he explained.
"It's incredibly annoying and distracting for drivers to have a car constantly bonging at you and flashing warnings."
The expert added: "It also means that you’re constantly looking down at the dashboard to find out why your car is bonging at you instead of keeping your eyes on the road. This does not make us safer."
Masson went on to acknowledge that speed limits exist for a 'reason' but argued that having a car which will fight you while trying to overtake 'cleanly and safely' is dangerous.
He also highlighted that cars having incorrect information about road speeds (for example, roads which have recently had their speed limit increased) could even make driving within the legal limit difficult.
"It's not safe for a driver to have to fight against their own car to be able to drive safely and legally," Masson said, adding that better driver training and 're-assessment programmes' would make our roads safer.
The car expert went on: "If people can’t be trusted to drive safely, they should not be given driving licences.
"Drivers who are caught driving in a genuinely unsafe manner should face harsher penalties and have their licences revoked, but trying to control everyone's behaviour all the time is not a solution for a civilised society."
Brenna Cooper