One of Britain’s leading roadside rescue and recovery businesses is calling for more to be done to educate drivers ahead of the introduction of mandatory speed-limiting technology to all new cars launched in the UK later this year.
Start Rescue – provider of the UK’s best value breakdown cover – welcomes the introduction of the Intelligent Speed Assist technology which, it is hoped will reduce collisions by 30 percent and save tens of thousands of lives a year.
But the Which? Recommended Provider warned that the system, which would limit a car’s power to keep it within legal speed limits, could also pose its own dangers, particularly in situations where rapid acceleration is needed to avoid an accident.
And it called on carmakers and the Department for Transport to do more to publicise the introduction of the technology from 6th July 2022 and to educate drivers on how to adapt their driving accordingly.
Lee Puffett, Managing Director of Start Rescue, said: “Broadly speaking, we welcome anything that can help save lives on the roads, but the introduction of this new technology does not come without its own risks.
“With proper instruction and education, we believe it could be a real game changer in terms of road safety, preventing thousands of lives being lost every year.
“But the way a car responds to the driver applying acceleration will be altered and in some cars drivers will feel push-back or vibration through the accelerator pedal. This could be unsettling or confusing for the driver and divert their attention from the road ahead. That’s why we need more public education, to let drivers know what’s happening, what they’ll experience and how to respond. This same situation applies to lane change technology, where a driver quickly reacts to avoid a car door opening for example, but the technology will guide the vehicle back into the lane and towards the open door, unless the driver has adjusted the vehicle to their preferred settings.
“At the very least, it’s critical that drivers be advised to consult their vehicle’s handbook to understand how their car will behave when the speed-limiting technology is activated.”
From May 2022, Intelligent Speed Assist will be introduced on all new models given ‘type’ approval, but all new models sold in the UK must be equipped with the technology from May 2024.
Initially however, drivers will simply be able to switch the system off, even though it will reactivate every time the vehicle restarts. Here too drivers need educating, according to Start Rescue.
Mr Puffett continued: “With the proper education and training, this speed-limiting technology is going to prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths every year and we’d call for any driver education to highlight that as well. It’s incredibly important that drivers understand the potential benefits as well as the potential dangers so they embrace the technology and don’t simply switch it off.”
