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International road safety experts are calling for all vehicles to be fitted with speed warning devices, and drivers who exceed the speed limit may find their accelerators disabled by devices that are being considered in Australia.
According to the experts "Driving too fast causes 1.25 million road traffic deaths a year globally, and is a major contributor to the 6.9 per cent increase in deaths on Australian roads to 1275 in the year ending August 31."
The road safety experts called for all European vehicles to be fitted with Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) devices. These use speed sign recognition and satellite information to warn drivers with sounds or message if they exceed the limit.
The council launched a campaign on YouTube to build support for ISA, saying it had a huge potential to save lives.
Some devices, which have already been integrated into some new models of Ford cars, have an override function that can stop speeding drivers from using the accelerator until they return to the speed limit.
Anyone want this fitted to their car? I can see problems...
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Tuesday October 04 2016, @08:33AM
I'd be more concerned with a situation where you have e.g. to escape a avalanche.
The police. I mean, having your hazard lights on is a quite overt condition.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by zocalo on Tuesday October 04 2016, @09:07AM
This. While not a very common case, not every emergency situation is best avoided by slamming on the brakes and sometimes the most expediant solution is to floor the accelerator potentially involving breaking the speed limit. I've had several instances of someone cutting into my lane when slamming on the brakes would have meant the idiot tailgating me would almost certainly have been unable to stop in time - that would have been their fault, but it would also become my problem and I'd rather it didn't. As a more extreme example, several years years back I was in the process of over taking a high-sided truck that was driving very slowly due to strong crosswinds when it got caught by a really strong gust and started to go over (one of many on the UK's A1 that day). I was just drawing level with the cab at the time, caught sight of it out of the corner of my eye and accelerated clear, but if I'd braked there was no way I wouldn't have been dodging assorted large household appliances. Fortunately, the cab tore free from the trailer and righted itself, so while the truck driver was badly shaken he was also unharmed.
Audio-visual over the limit warnings, sure, but messing with the accelerator needs some more thought than just disabling it. A gradual slowdown after a sustained period of over the limit driving while the alarm was sounding perhaps, but the "grace period" definitely needs some careful consideration to determine the worst possible case.
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 04 2016, @02:37PM
Some time ago some guy and his kids were crossing the road in a 60 zone near a corner. I took the corner at about 35 to 40 km/h. Didn't come close to hitting anyone.
The dickhead kicked my car as I passed slowed down to about 20, then jumped in his car and chased me.
Luckily, that POS could jump to 140 right fast. Having a roadrager on my ass? I did 120 to 140 up the road, took a left, cruised around a couple of bends, took a right into a driveway and dead stopped. His car screamed round the corned 10 seconds behind me. I waited a few minutes then drove back the other way.
If I was booked for doing that 120+ in the 80 zone I went through I would have paid it happily. While telling the officer about the road rager chasing me. My choice to get out of there fast.
If my car was limited and his wasn't? He'd probably have tailed me till I ran out of petrol. Then what? Use your imagination.
I dislike speeders as much as anyone. We don't nedled this in Aus. We have way too many red light and speeding cams as it is.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 04 2016, @02:59PM
so you nearly ran over an innocent family crossing the street then when the loving father chased you you ran and hid like a chicken shit? bravo sir!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 04 2016, @10:26AM
escape a avalanche
Twenty is plenty.