Big brother has his hand on your throttles UK !

[SteamWake]

London testing electronic throttle controls

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519789,00.html

How long before this is considered 'required' equipment in your car?

[Kapitan_Phillips]

You've never seen British taxi's on the road, have you. Speed limiters are a bloody good idea

[AVGWarhawk]

Canada requires a limiter on vehicles over 26000#. These are set to 65 max. Fuel saving, environment saving and life saving I'm told.

[Schroeder]

Won't happen in Germany. BMW, Mercedes, Audi and VW will make sure that they can still sell their 120+ mph cars and that we won't have a speed limit on our Autobahnen (whether that is so good is a different story....).

[Q3ark]

It's pointless if it's voluntary, if it's mandatory then people will figure out how to remove them. Just like thay did whan thay brought out limiters for HGV's

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Q3ark

It's pointless if it's voluntary, if it's mandatory then people will figure out how to remove them. Just like thay did whan thay brought out limiters for HGV's

I know in Canada trucks are checked at the border. If the device is removed or altered the fine is quite stiff.

[Jimbuna]

A good idea for inner city driving...for all the reasons stated by AVG.

Either that or up the fines to a ridiculously high level.

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by Q3ark

It's pointless if it's voluntary, if it's mandatory then people will figure out how to remove them. Just like thay did whan thay brought out limiters for HGV's

In the new digi tacho system the limiter is also registered to this so it will show up without fail if anything has been tampered with but you can tamper with the digi tach system now.

The fact is its all logged be it on paper or on a card its stupid to think that you will get away with it because it can cost the licence in severe cases as ive read today in a magasine it cost one company thier operating licence which means they can no longer trade using HGV vehicles.

If you bring in the limiter people will just buy import cars it will damage our own car industry no one would buy the 4.2litre super charged land rover if its limited to 70mph or the laborghini mercialago which could be a good thing we might as well all drive a ford mondeo 1.8 diesel that way everyone is the same.

[jumpy]

Stupid idea if you ask me - the system will never be smart enough to react/take into account changing road situations a driver might find him or herself in. As such, having the nanny-throttle take control away from the driver at a critical moment could very well cause an accident, not prevent one.
A much better use of the london transport budget would be to better train their drivers accordingly, coupled with the use of mechanical limiters (already in use on articulated lorries* and buses) which limit the vehicles top speed to a fixed variable. Stiffer penalties for drivers who break the rules would be more efficient too.


* the problem we have in the UK is lorries from the continent which do not respect the laws regarding speed limitations for vehicles of a certain weight and size, and the Tachometer laws regarding the amount of time a driver is allowed to be behind the wheel driving without a rest. There have been a number of fatal rta's where this was to blame.

[Steel_Tomb]

Sigh....

They tried this for bikes, it was found to be quite dangerous. Imagine this, going round a corner, trying to manage your line with your throttle. You hit 41 or something like that, the computer cuts your throttle causing you to run wide around the corner.... either into a ditch or into the path of oncoming traffic.

The answer doesn't lie in more and more control, its about teaching people better. I found the driving test FAR too easy for my liking, it should be far more comprehensive and robust than the system we have now. I don't think it should be made more expensive, perhaps reduce cost per lessons but have a minimum requirement based on your instructors rating of your performance. Make the test harder too, should be a couple of hours at least I think. Mine was only about 30minutes driving around town, did a couple of maneuvers and that was that. You should be expected to be able to do every maneuver put in front of you... not just a random pick of two or three. I think it should be encouraged for people to go on more advanced driver training courses too. For bikers we tend to do stuff like that quite a bit, because we aim to improve our riding technique (well I do at least)... but I can't say the same about car drivers, once they "pass" they seem to poddle around the roads for life without ever thinking about it.

[Jimbuna]

Simply programme the equipment to give a 5 or 10 second visual and audible warning before the system kicks in....possibly even an override switch to the driver for emergency use only.

[XabbaRus]

A “smiley face” appears on the unit if the driver is obeying the limit. It frowns if he goes too fast.

How bloody ridiculous.

This is the thin end of the wedge of total control.

Have you seen the advert for the new Vauxhall Insiginia with the top option having roadside recognition. Well take it one step further to linking that to the speedo and a satellite tracking system and hve it mandatory on all cars from the cheap the pricey.

I can't see it working properly and as ST says it is about education.

If they want to do something then they should go after a lot of the drivers coming in from eastern europe who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a car.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

If I understand the article correctly, they are only installing this system on municipal vehicles like buses and taxis, right?

[Letum]

Yes, and there will be no obligation to use it, although as a speeding fine is
the end of a taxi-drivers job, I expect they will.

You can buy them your self as well if you like, some sat-nav systems include
a overspeed warn.

[XabbaRus]

It starts that way but how long till it creeps into private vehicles and mandatory?