Re: Speed limiters

On 7/5/2024 11:49 PM, Jeff Layman wrote:

On 06/07/2024 00:28, Don Y wrote:

Article in /The Guardian/ suggests these are already (optionally)
present in EU vehicles and soon to be *mandatory*?
>
But, it seems that these don't truly *limit* speed; rather, they
signal when the speed limit has been *exceeded*.

 In my old(ish) 2015 Honda Jazz (Fit in USA), it does both. A camera detects the speed limit and shows it on the dash display. I can then choose to set the "limiter" - better called "speed detector" to that speed (+/- a few mph if I wish). When the car gets to that speed an alarm sounds and the car will not accelerate beyond that speed on the level or going uphill. It will happily continue increasing its speed well beyond the limit if going downhill, with the alarm beeping away!
 It does *not* apply the brake automatically when entering a lower speed limit area when the "limiter" is set. That could be dangerous to anyone following closely behind.
 

And, can be disabled?

 It's disabled by default when I start the car. It has to be turned on when I want it.

I think the new "regulations" reported in the article (to take effect July 7)
have it reenabled each time the vehicle is started.  So, you would have to
"opt out" each time.

Do vehicles "tattle" on drivers that exceed the limit?  Or, is it
intended as a reminder (nag!) to help people drive more safely?

 Well, supposedly the latter, but I wonder if it's stored in the cars memory somewhere and can be accessed when the car's serviced.

With more modern vehicles ("new regulation"), I would wonder if it isn't
signaled OTA, in real time.
ISTR an article about a guy who was faced with a big increase in his
auto insurance premium.  And, that other vendors quoted him the same
increase!  Apparently, one of the credit rating companies had noted
details of his driving habits *tattled* by his vehicle (OnStar, IIRC).
Without his knowing consent ("Warning:  this car will tattle on you")
Many insurers would like to coerce you to install a device on the OBD
port in your vehicle to collect real-time data regarding your driving
habits.  I assume this is queried every renewal period (though it could
also be designed to tattle in real time -- certainly if it notices
an accident!)
Some vehicles report hard braking and hard acceleration events.  And,
I suspect they also report the number of times Bitchy Betty complained
about your failure to fasten seat belts.
[It would be entertaining to design a "filter" that could hide upstream of
the OBD port and allow the user to configure it to report a particular
driving style:  little old lady, 9-to-5er, casual user, etc.]
There's also talk of using AI to detect driver impairment.
It's hard NOT to imagine these eventually becoming enforced prohibitions
as politicians and insurers argue for the (alleged) increased safety
they could provide to drivers and property owners.  E.g., there was a time
when cars wouldn't start without seat belts being fastened (and "smart"
enough to detect if you had simply buckled them PERMANENTLY, behind your back)

Note that on more modern cars it is often linked to the Satnav/GPS where speed limits are known by position rather than signage. Of course, if you don't keep your Satnav's database up-to-date that's another matter entirely. ;-)

Ah, that explains why the article cited cameras.  It seemed overly complex
given that the navigation system already has that information within (in order
to select shortest/fastest route)
Is signage standardized in europe?  Or, would it have to be able to recognize
different sign formats in different locales?