What Impact is the New Legislation Expected to Have?
According to a recent report by, there were 1,390 fatalities and 23,149 serious injuries resulting from road traffic collisions between June 2020 and June 2021.
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has predicted that having speed limiters installed in every car will reduce collisions by about 30 percent and save approximately 25,000 lives in the next 15 years alone. Additionally, the European Commission has stated that the speed limiters (as well as other measures included in new legislation) could prevent 140,000 serious road traffic accident injuries by 2038.
If you’ve suffered serious injuries as a result of a road traffic collision, get in touch with our expert Road Traffic Accident Solicitors to see if we can help you on a No Win, No Fee basis.
When Will Cars Have Speed Limiters?
From 7th July 2024, it will be legally required for all car manufacturers to fit any cars that they have for sale with speed limiters. This means that any showroom cars that don’t have speed limiters will need to have the technology fitted before being sold.
Will Speed Limiters Affect UK Laws?
While the speed limiter legislation passed in July 2022, it won’t be fully implemented until mid-2024. The legislation was passed by the EU and was adopted by UK law which means that it will still apply here.
Although, it’s important to note that while it will be a legal requirement for speed limiters to be fitted, there is no law that requires them to be activated. This leaves a large loophole that may still allow drivers to continue speeding.
Can Speed Limiters be Deactivated?
Yes, all speed limiters in cars can be deactivated by the driver. Although, it is worth noting that the technology will reboot itself and be reactivated once the car is restarted. This means that while it can be turned off, this is only temporary.
All types of speed limiters can be deactivated by simply being overridden. This means that if you press down on the accelerator forcefully, it will override the speed limiter. While this is possible, you must understand that exceeding the speed limit is illegal under any circumstances. If you speed, you may receive penalties.
The only time that it will be appropriate to override a speed limiter is in any situation where the device may misread the local speed limit. For example, if the device thinks that the road is a 50mph but you know that it is 60mph.
Will My Car be Limited to a Specific Speed?
No, your car will not be limited to any specific speed. Some vehicles, usually work vehicles, are fitted with technology that makes it impossible for them to speed beyond a certain threshold. For example, work vans are often unable to go any faster than 52mph, and they will display a sign on the rear warning other road users that their speed is restricted.
A speed limiter is not the same as this device. Instead, it will simply not allow you to go beyond the speed that it determines is correct for the road that you are currently driving on.
How We Can Help
Although the introduction of speed limiters will reduce the number of road collisions, they wont prevent them completely. Our Personal Injury Lawyers can help offer practical legal advice on your traffic accident claim. Regardless of how it happened, you may be entitled to compensation. You may have been the driver of a car, a pedestrian, or a passenger on a motorbike. Whatever your role in the accident, even if you were partially to blame, you may be eligible.
While compensation won’t change what happened, it can offer financial support when it comes to re-building your life and seeking rehabilitation. Dealing with an accident is difficult enough and our claim process is designed to remove all the added stresses.
We will handle your claim so you can focus on your health and recovery. Why not give us a call today to arrange your free claims assessment to get the process started? We will let you know if we think you have a claim and how strong your case is.