ALL cars sold after the year 2022 in the European Union will have 'smart speed assistants' built in, meaning they will adjust the speed of the vehicle to the limits on the road it is travelling on.
This move had already been proposed by Spain's General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) a year ago, but as yet, the plan is that car drivers will be able to deactivate it if they wish - only drivers of coaches, buses, lorries and vans will not be able to switch theirs off.
It is not yet known when, if at all, European Parliament will opt to make it compulsory for the devices to be activated at all times.
Other 'smart' systems which all vehicles manufactured from 2022 will be required to have as standard include advanced braking systems, distraction warning systems, devices which warn drivers if they are drifting out of the correct lane, reverse detection devices, an interface which stops the car engine from switching on if the driver is over the alcohol limit, an emergency stop signal, and a 'black box' to record accident data.
The 'smart speed assistant' alone would cut road deaths by 20%, according to European Parliament - the European Commission has revealed that in 2018 alone, over 25,000 people were killed in crashes on roads in the 28 member States, and 135,000 were seriously injured.
Spain's Road Safety and Prevention manager at the MAPFRE Foundation - the social action arm of MAPFRE insurance - Jesús Monclús says if every single car in the country was equipped with a speed assistant that blocked them from going faster than the limit, around 400 fewer deaths per year would occur.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com