I was washing my car today (not the MX-5, which doesn’t arrive until April) and I spoke with a couple of socially-distanced neighbours, who are fellow car enthusiasts.
I mentioned that I was changing both my cars this year, so as to avoid the incoming regulations that I believe will have the power to interrupt acceleration, if this causes the car to exceed the speed limit (as read by the car) and will record all such events (and more). The potential for misuse of this is a bit worrying.
Whilst I am normally a law-abiding driver, I don’t like the idea of “big brother” breathing down my neck.
To my surprise, neither of my neighbours knew anything about the impending regulations, which will apply to all new cars from 2022 (May, I think). This is something that the EU will be implementing and the UK says it will also adopt, regardless of Brexit.
So, if you are in the UK and thinking of buying a new MX-5, or any other new car for that matter, you might want to get it this year …
I believe it should be possible to override the restriction with a “heavy right foot” (at least initially - it is unclear if this could change in the future). At best, it is likely to distract the driver momentarily.
I imagine it will be every bit a safe as “smart motorways”!
Or the “Parking Brake Assist”, as on the ND2 which I found was applying when I wanted to make a fast start at a junction for instance and caused the car to stall in fairly hairy situations! I accessed it in the menu and turned it off!!!
I am fairly sure that for an initial period the feature will be able to be switched off, no doubt every time you start the car. Later the feature will not be able to be turned off by a switch but only by flooring it.
No, “Smart City Brake Support” or “SCBS” is the official name, it’s not fitted on all models, see page 4-43 onwards in the owner’s handbbook.
PS: I’ve found that any technology described as “Intelligent” or “Smart” invariably isn’t!
I was having a read of the below Autocar article and believe a version of this already exists in my ND (minus the big brother bit to the best of my knowledge).
In my ND there is a ‘LIM’ mode where you can set a limit and it won’t let you pass it without a firm foot on the accelerator, additionally it beeps at you when you do (this section of the online manual covers it)
A74 in torrential rain. LGVs stuck in the smoothed out tramlines and chucking 10’s of gallons of spray onto everything behind it @60mph.
Impossible to see, pretty much anyhow, even with wipers on fast.
And in 2022, a quick burst of 80mph to clear the situation will be…
Yup, excellent that & very well thought out.
I say this from 45 years on the road and conservatively 1.3 million miles in both business & private vehicles in all the worst weathers Scotland can chuck out.
As you say, the MX-5 and many other cars probably already have the speed limiting facility. My concern is the “big brother” aspect associated with the “black box” part of the plan.
Hi, the dates from memory are all cars that are type approved after 6 June 2022 (new launch models) and all cars sold after 6 June 2024. (retro fit to older models).
They will have a range of assistance features including intelligent speed assist, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, autonomous breaking, and an event data recorder.
Everything will be turned on every time you switch the car on. They can be turned off but will be on again next time.
You can drive through the speed limiter, e.g. by flooring it and if it is like the current systems you can set the tolerance to a few mph above or below what the car thinks it is.
Some current systems are really easy, you just toggle the ‘Lim’ button (Jaguar) some are much more difficult to find in the menu (Honda) and some depend on which stereo you have fitted (Ford).
As many drivers can’t operate their aircon they will struggle.
I did a webinar on the new type approval regs last year.
Link is here if you are having difficulty in sleeping.
There is as yet no steer on how switching the systems off may effect liability in a collision.
Don’t shoot the messenger 🥸
Thanks Binty!
It is the event data recorder and the risk that such systems are only one step away from full external control (where we can’t override the speed limiter, even if it has adopted the wrong speed) that worries me - and others, I suspect …
I have a feeling that cars which don’t sport this wonderful technology could become collectors’ items/sought after, in the future.
Or they could end up being banned from public roads when this technology becomes mandatory! These incremental “Safety” requirements are probably just a means to an end, Big Brother indeed.
Traditionally there is little precedent for retrospective legislation. So old cars may not have rear seatbelts, or any seatbelts at all, yet still are legal.
These systems are level 2 automation. The scale is 0 to 5 with five being full automation.
The government is consulting on allowing level 3 which would allow hands off driving on motorways in some circumstances.
It is basically level 2 which is here but without the requirement to hold the wheel all the time.
The tech exists and will be standard on all cars, it is just the software that will change for level 3.
Level 4 is basically autonomous but you must be available to take over, level 5 you can snooze in the back
The event data recorder will become an important factor in collision investigation but can only be accessed with lawful authority, so probably serious accident ta investigated by the police. I don’t see insurance companies having access unless the law changes, but that is just my opinion.
I worked with some psychologists on this and think there is going to be some traditionalists and maybe even a sub culture that actively avoids these cars, but most cars are bought by companies, these cars are safer in most situations and they will just become the norm.
If you are old enough you will remember there was an outcry at the breathalyser and also about wearing seatbelts. Things change.
