Ford to begin selling cars in 2015 that will slow down when approaching speed-limit signs

Ford has announced that, come August, it will begin selling vehicles equipped with the technology to adjust the car’s speed in accordance with the speed limit of the area. 

The company said that the purpose of the technology is to ensure vehicle / driver safety, and to also help drivers avoid fines. 

The speed-limiting technology is activated via the steering wheel. The driver can go up to 5mph over the speed limit, otherwise, in order to override the system, he / she would have to press firmly on the vehicle’s accelerator. 

The technology, referred to as “Intelligent Speed Limiter”, will be made available in August, when Ford launches the second generation of its S-Max cars in Europe. A representative for the company’s US branch said the facility would probably be extended to other models around the world thereafter.

What’s interesting about the Intelligent Speed Limiter is that it combines two existing technologies already fitted to many cars:

Adjustable speed limiters — these sensors are mounted in a car’s wheels to detect how fast the vehicle’s going. Once software detects the car’s moving at the maximum rate of its preset speed (e.g. – the car is set to 65mph on auto-drive), these sensors send a message to the car’s computer telling it to reduce the amount of fuel reaching the engine, rather than applying the brakes. 

The system does allow the driver to override these restrictions by pressing the accelerator to the floor.

Traffic sign recognition: while not terribly popular in the US (yet), this technology is basically a forward-facing, windscreen-mounted video camera that scans the land for road signs and alerts the driver when they’re located. 

Ford does recognize that there will be an audience of drivers out there hesitant to give up control of their car, but they went on to suggest that there’s an even greater population that would appreciate the convenience and safety of this technology. 

“Drivers are not always conscious of speeding . . . sometimes only becoming aware they were going too fast when they receive a fine in the mail or are pulled over by law enforcement,” said Stefan Kappes, a safety supervisor at Ford.

“Intelligent Speed Limiter can remove one of the stresses of driving, helping ensure customers remain within the legal speed limit.”

Via BBC