'Zombie' driver warning over call for introduction of car speed-limiting devices

 

By Lucy Ballinger

Last updated at 8:37 PM on 30th December 2008

 

 

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Cars should be fitted with speed-limiters to help prevent accidents, claim government advisers

 

Cars should be fitted with speed-limiters to help prevent accidents and cut carbon emissions, claim government advisers.

Ministers are planning to help councils draw up digital maps with details of the legal speed on every road.

The device then uses satellite positioning to check if a vehicle is breaking the speed limit and will automatically slow a car down and apply the brakes if necessary.

The speed-limiting technology could prevent up to 29 per cent of road accidents which cause injuries.

But campaigners believe the devices are dangerous because they lull drivers into a 'zombie mode'.

 

The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) and the Motorists' Forum published a report yesterday which called for the voluntary introduction of the devices - called intelligent speed adaption (ISA).

The study also looked at how the devices would help fuel consumption, emissions, noise and ease traffic on the roads.

It found that on 70mph roads, keeping to the speed limit could lead to savings of up to 6 per cent in CO2 emissions.

 

 

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But Claire Armstrong, from the road safety charity Safe Speed, said that the devices could be dangerous.

She said truck drivers using speed-limiting devices had been shown to 'go into fatigue mode or zombie mode' and stopped paying attention to the road.

Mrs Armstrong added: 'That makes it highly dangerous in those scenarios. So you've taken the responsibility away from the driver and that is not good for road safety.'

Derek Charters, from the Motor Industry Research Association, said using devices to automatically limit speed could cause accidents.

 

He said: 'The last thing you need is one car to be overtaking and then pull back in, in front of the cars in front, because that braking event will then cause everybody to start to slow down, which will then compress the traffic, which then causes an incident.'

Although neither CfIT nor the Motorists' Forum is recommending the compulsory fitting or usage of ISA they both want the Department for Transport to make the technology available and encourage drivers to use it.

John Lewis, from the Motorists' Forum, said he believed the devices would help drivers obey limits and therefore hold onto their licences.

He told the BBC: 'We believe that the system should be a voluntary system, that the drivers decide if they have fitted to their car or not, and that they decide if they want to over-ride the speed limit - that should be their choice.'

British Gas has already introduced the technology for its vans - limiting them to 70mph. Jon York, fleet manager for the company said the system had reduced road accidents by company drivers.

He said: 'It does aid road safety, it does reduce incidents, but it is part of a wide-ranging number of initiatives within British Gas and one of those is driver training because you have to change people's behaviour.'

CfIT vice-chairman David Leeder said: 'This important report shows the very real benefits to motorists from the introduction and use of an ISA system - not just in road safety but also in terms of fuel and money saved.'

One more step for the government to control people's lives

Ministers are planning to help councils draw up digital maps with details of the legal speed on every road.

 

And what's to say those maps will be 100% correct?

 

Rubbish idea, because they are ignoring the clear fact that speeding only can be the reason for 6% of accidents on UK roads, with the main reason being driver error.

It won't happen these moronic out of touch idiots don't have enough time left in power to implement this, it would prove too unpopular for people to put up with and would have to be withdrawn, the sooner people start being honest about the fact barely anyone drives at the speed limit the better, speeding is not particularly dangerous in itself, it's where you speed that is, going fast in a built up area past a school for example, if someone is stupid enough to do that then they deserve a fine or thier licence revoked but someone doing 100+ MPH on a clear and open motorway, I really don't consider them to have done anything wrong, it's all about driving in the right way for the conditions.

Plus most drivers need to be honest and say they don't care about thier CO2 emissions, I certainly don't, if I go faster I use more fuel, if I want to save fuel and money I drive slower, it's a pretty simple formula.

The ideal speed to drive for the best fuel economy and co2 emissions is ~ 56 mph.

 

I was reading some rather boring specification requirements regarding speed limit signs, rather boring and rubbish really.

It's more constant accelerating and braking that waste fuel I think, if you drive smoothly but at a steady speed it doesn't seem to use that much fuel.

On camp I have a neat little trick i sometimes do when there isn't a lot of action around, get the car up-to the 20 mph speed limit and stick it in 4th gear. The engine revs drop down to idle, it uses hardly any fuel and it means I can take my feet away from the pedals because the car will stay at 20 mph all day long.

They do have a more safe way of doing that, it's called Cruise Control:D:P

They do have a more safe way of doing that, it's called Cruise Control:D:P

 

Doesn't that have something to do with Tom's Scientology techniques?:confused:

They do have a more safe way of doing that, it's called Cruise Control:D:P

 

Safer yes

But it uses more fuel ;)

Doesn't that have something to do with Tom's Scientology techniques?:confused:

 

Hopefully not he's rather strange

 

Safer yes

But it uses more fuel ;)

 

Maybe in the way you would use it but surely you would use less on the motorway for example as you would be going at a steady speed?

You will use cruise control on a motorway because the engine needs to be reving to keep to the required speed of 70 mph. My trick works on camp because the torque can keep the car rolling at 20 mph in 4th gear when using hardly any revs.