Since the summer of 2024, all new cars in Europe have been equipped with a mandatory speed limiter, which is illegal to permanently disable. But drivers hate the so-called 'Speed Intelligence Assist'.
Drivers hate the new mandatory speed limiter, ISA. Something that all new cars sold in the EU since the summer of 2024 have been and are equipped with.
The speed limiter comes in different variants. Car manufacturers choose how they want to prevent people from driving too fast.
The four variants are an audio signal, vibrations, haptic feedback via the accelerator pedal or a speed limiting function. What the alarms have in common is that they should be triggered as soon as the speed is one km/h above the permitted speed.
There are many complaints about the new beeping speed alarms. Several car owners turn off the system every time they drive.
The reason the speed limiter was introduced is that the EU wants to prevent drivers from driving too fast in exchange for avoiding fatal accidents in traffic.
But the new law has had a completely different effect. Many drivers don't like the new speed limiters and turn them off. Some even say they become so anxious that they lose concentration.
Alrik Söderlind, who has worked as a motoring journalist for several years, understands well why many drivers turn off the system.
– The system is not a danger to anyone. But many of us turn them off because they are so aggressive, says Alrik Söderlind.
– All I have to do is drive over 50 km/h, because it starts beeping. But maybe there should be a limit of five kilometers.
Alrik Söderlind doesn't want to get rid of speed limiters completely. He believes they can be useful at lower speeds.
– I think they are best at lower speeds. When you get to urban environments, it is not always easy to know whether the speed limit is 30 or 40 km/h. But then the system can be useful, he says.
However, he is critical of how the system works at the moment.
– The consequence is that many people turn off the speed limiter. And that's actually a real shame, because there is a purpose to the system, says Alrik Söderlind.
He points out that many drivers turn off the system because it disturbs them during intersections.
– Now many people, including myself, turn off the speed limiter because I want to be able to maintain the right speed on the highway.
"The system uses the car's speedometer, which often shows incorrectly," says Alrik Söderlind.
He has a suggestion for how the speed limiter could be adjusted so that people don't turn it off.
– I think people would like it. But maybe there should be a limit of five kilometers above the border.
– It's a balance between reason and emotions, I would say, says Alrik Söderlind.
The first two alarm options, sound signal and vibration, do not intervene directly, but only provide warnings.
The idea is to keep the alarms as short as possible so as not to bother the driver. The pedal variant will gently push the driver's foot back to inform them that the car is going too fast.
The driver can ignore this by pressing harder on the accelerator. The same applies to the fourth option with built-in speed limitation.
In most cars, the system can be gradually turned off, but this must usually be done before each drive. Common to all four options is that it is illegal to turn/code off permanently.
