All cars could be fitted with devices that stop them going
over 70mph, under new EU road safety measures which aim to cut deaths from road
accidents by a third.
Under the proposals new cars would be fitted with cameras
that could read road speed limit signs and automatically apply the brakes when
this is exceeded.
Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, is said to be
opposed to the plans, which could also mean existing cars are sent to garages
to be fitted with the speed limiters, preventing them from going over 70mph.
The new measures have been announced by the European
Commission’s Mobility and Transport Department as a measure to reduce the
30,000 people who die on the roads in Europe every year.
A Government source told the Mail on Sunday Mr McLoughlin
had instructed officials to block the move because they ‘violated’ motorists’
freedom. They said: “This has Big Brother written all over it and is exactly
the sort of thing that gets people's backs up about Brussels.
“The Commission wanted his views ahead of plans to publish
the proposals this autumn. He made it very clear what those views were.”
The source claimed one of the reasons he was against the
Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) scheme is that the UK has a better road
safety record than other European countries – with 1,754 people dying in road
accidents last year compared to 3,657 in Germany.
The scheme would work either using satellites, which would
communicate limits to cars automatically, or using cameras to read road signs.
Drivers can be given a warning of the speed limit, or their speed could be controlled
automatically under the new measures.
A spokesman for the European Commission said: “There is a
currently consultation focusing on speed-limiting technology already fitted to
HGVs and buses.
“Taking account of the results, the Commission will publish
in the autumn a document by its technical experts which will no doubt refer to
ISA among many other things.”
Article Credit:http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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