Ford's Intelligent Speed Limiter could end speeding

Ford's European arm is leading the charge against speeding (accidental or otherwise) thanks to new tech which can read road signs and automatically slow the car to match the posted speed. It's set to debut first on the new S-MAX people carrier, and will roll out across larger models in the range soon after. 

The Intelligent Speed Limiter uses a windscreen-mounted camera to monitor road signs and can adjust the car's electronic limiter down to that level without driver intervention. It also gathers information from the car's navigation system to ensure that the set speed is always accurate.

The Ford system can be activated or turned off via steering wheel mounted controls, and uses fuel starvation rather than the brakes to reduce the vehicle's speed. It can be overriden by pressing the accelerator. Ford is quick to point out that it is not looking to completely control vehicle speed in all senses.

Safety supervisor Stefan Kappas says it aims to help those who stray accidentally above the posted limit from avoiding prosecution. “Drivers are not always conscious of speeding and sometimes only becoming aware they were going too fast when they receive a fine in the mail" he elaborates.

The new tech isn't confirmed for any other model currently, but Ford claims since models such as the Kuga, Focus and new Mondeo already have Traffic Sign Recognition and an adjustable speed limiter, it could easily be fitted to these models in the near future. 

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