Speed limiters are part of the mandatory equipment.
QUICK FACTS:
- Vehicles sold in the United Kingdom as of July 6, 2022 are required to include tracking and surveillance technology.
- Included in the mandatory additions are speed limiters, the most commonly used being the Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA).
- The speed limitation device uses GPS data, and cameras for traffic sign recognition and limits the engine’s power, decreasing speed.
- Some reports also indicate that vehicles will essentially include a “black box” with technical data, accessible by the authorities.
- Data records will include “the vehicle’s speed, braking, steering wheel angle, its incline on the road, and whether the vehicle’s various safety systems were in operation, starting with seatbelts.”
ORIGINS OF THE NEW REQUIREMENT:
- The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) announced in 2019 that it would require manufacturers to outfit all new models with the tracking systems, starting July 6, 2022.
- The change was introduced as a way for law enforcement to ascertain the details of car accidents. The rule also coincides with the Intelligent Speed Assistance systems, causing some concern the two are part of a more controlling system for drivers.
- Currently, only law enforcement has access to the data, and anonymized data will be sent to the car’s manufacturer.
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith previously reported that the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill had a similar measure quietly added.
- The measure included the requirement that vehicle manufacturers add a “kill switch” to vehicles made from 2026 forward.
