Speed Cameras & Speed Limiters...

[BEANFro Elite]

This thought crossed my mind as I woke up this morning, they'll never introduce a law that says you must have a speed limiter installed in your car as this would mean that no one would be caught speeding, which would mean that the Government would be losing out on a fairly huge chunk of revenue.

But if they did happen to bring in a law that said you must install a device that limits your speed, they'd probably make a secret guideline in the smallest fineprint known to man, that states that you must install a government regitered brand of speed limiter otherwise you'll face a hefty fine and points off your which you'll have the option to buy back at an unreasonably huge fee.

Perhaps someone already thought of this on Hexus but I thought I'd throw it in because you know the government would do something like this, considering you motorist are the most picked on by the Government.

P.S. I'd also like to point out that I do not actually drive at the time of writing...but I may be driving by the end of this year...

[nichomach]

Well, it's worth noting that speed limiters are already fitted to many high performance cars, limiting their top whack to say 155mph. That said, I don't think that any government will fit speed limiters since it is unlawful to exceed the speed limit except in circumstances where it is absolutely necessary; that is you have a defence if circumstances obliged you to exceed the limit. As an example, a friend of mine was having a home birth, there were complications, she had to get to a hospital quickly, the response time for an ambulance was too long, so the husband stuffed her into the car and floored it. He got pulled, explained the circs to the officers involved and they not only told him to get on with it, they also gave him an escort with the blues and twos going. If you are in a life threatening situation and are obliged to, say, get to a hospital as quickly as possible, you have a defence to a speeding charge.

I don't like a lot of the government's policies with regard to motoring, but I doubt that there would be anything secret about any such requirement for an approved type of limiter, were it to happen. The government would probably lay down a set of criteria with which any device would have to comply, but not a specific brand - akin to the situation with tachographs where there are multiple manufacturers. No-one liked the spy in the cab when it was introduced, and hell, they probably still don't, but the regulation and criteria are actually very open. It actually reduces costs that way, since the government has to spend less on enforcement than if the criteria were vague or in any way "secret".

[Meiapaul]

Could speed camera detectors not be linked to a third party speed limiter somehow to stop people speeding past cameras? Just an idea, but it would probably sell loads...

[EvilMunky]

problem with speedlimiters is if they limit you say to 70mph - you could still speed in 30mph zones couldnt you>

unless there is someway to have the limiter know what the limit is via some wifi comms and therefore restrict you.

at that point i sell my car

[BEANFro Elite]

Well I don't think theres any need for limters OR speed cameras now, I think that the car manufacturers should have to put a speaker that announces your speed in 10mph incriments, and a soft beep at every 5mph incriments.

For example, a voice announces that you are at 30mph and at 35mph there is a soft beep.

Remember that when you're driving you must keep your eyes on the road...

[nichomach]

Remember that when you're driving you must keep your eyes on the road...

Incorrect; your eyes should be on a combination of things - the road, the other traffic, the instruments on your dash, pedestrians walking by the side of the road...basically, you have to be aware of all your surroundings as well as the condition and behaviour of your car.

And if I had a nagging voice advising me of increments or decrements to my speed every time they happen, I'd hunt down the manufacturer with 10 metres of chicken wire, a concrete block and maps to a very remote and very, very deep lake. I trust I don't have to draw pictures.

Seriously, if you've ever been in congested traffic with the car speeding up...slowing down...speeding up...slowing down...you'd appreciate EXACTLY how homicide inducing that could be.

[BEANFro Elite]

Incorrect; your eyes should be on a combination of things - the road, the other traffic, the instruments on your dash, pedestrians walking by the side of the road...basically, you have to be aware of all your surroundings as well as the condition and behaviour of your car.

Thats what I meant...

That said if you are spending a disproportionate amount of time looking at your dash because you are worried about speeding, then you are clearly endangering not just your own safety, but also the safety of other motorists and pedestrians alike...

[nichomach]

I think I covered that with "aware of all your surroundings as well as the condition and behaviour of your car" ...

[Atomic]

If the fited speed limiters they would have to make the de-activatable because of people who use their car on track days, so the point of them is useless either way.

[Stoo]

trust me, nagging voices in a car are *very* annoying, and distracting, even my sat-nav system winds me up in certain places..

[nichomach]

If the fited speed limiters they would have to make the de-activatable because of people who use their car on track days, so the point of them is useless either way.

Hmmm...I don't think so; no government is prepared to take account of legitimate sporting or recreational interests if they reckon they can score a few cheap points with the majority (who don't do track days) by banging on about "safety" or "security". Handgun ban anyone?

[Atomic]

Can hardly compare racing to gun sports now

[nichomach]

Well, why not? The government allowed the use of rifles and shotguns to continue, because they're "practical" and handguns weren't. They could make an analogous argument by saying that speed limiters don't impede the practical use of a car but would only impact a minority of enthusiasts for the sake of public safety.

[TiG]

I'd still personally believe that after a few years of driving you should be able to maintain a steady speed. Without constantly looking at the speedo. Once every 30 seconds if on the same road, and once or twice when chaging roads, after completing corners etc.

But what i would like to see is a clear government policy on speed. It still seems to me that speeding in general (more so on the motorway) is publically acceptable.

I think a lot of things would have to change to have something like this imposed on drivers.

TiG

[5lab]

i think a speed limiter could be fitted with a kickdown so you can breach it if needed (the breach would be automatically reported...)

the government doesnt actually make much money out of speeders (about 70% of the money is just going to costs), and if the roads were 10% safer then the cost savings to the economy (less accidents = less costs to nhs, insurance etc) would be much bigger than the actual revenue raised by tickets.

it wouldnt be hard to make a system that limited your speed depending on what road you're on, and personally i'd welcome such a device in my car. it'd take my mind off the speeding issue entirely, you could just put your foot on the accellerator and pootle along..

[BEANFro Elite]

Well I read an artical in The Times about a year ago that said that in some areas, road deaths have risen because of speed cameras. This is because people who are unintentionally speeding see a sign that says "Speed cameras ahead" and in a panic they look down at the dashboard to check their speed at which time, a child has run to get his ball (or whatever) and is unfortunately knocked over.