Despite strong opposition from FEMA – the Federation of European Motorcycle Associations – the regulation adopted by the European Parliament and published Wednesday in the Official Journal provides that any new model of private or commercial vehicle sold in the European Union must be equipped with cruise control by July 2022 to be approved. And by July 2024, all vehicles sold in the European Union must be equipped with an ISA system.
The Intelligent Speed Adaptation System (ISA) is a safety device that acts as a cruise control and speed limiter, automatically reducing a vehicle's speed. The specifications require a warning system (visible and/or audible) or a speed limit function preventing excessive speed by automatically decelerating, but the driver can always override it by applying greater pressure on the accelerator pedal. accelerator. According to the European Union, this technology could reduce accidents by 30% and deaths by 20%.
To find out the speed limit in force on the section in question, the European Union had two main avenues: computer vision, or direct localization. The first consists of “reading” the signs using an on-board camera and an image recognition system. The second is simply to extract the position via GPS, then extract the maximum speed at that point from a database. Both methods have their advantages, but also their disadvantages. the EU has therefore chosen to rely on a hybrid solution developed by TomTom under the name Virtual Horizon.
Once the regulatory speed has been confirmed, the system will constantly compare it to the vehicle speed. If this limit is exceeded, the system will act automatically to put an end to the speeding. Initially, it will be a simple alert system like that already exists in many vehicles. For example, it could be a tone and a light on the dashboard.
But the part that causes the most debate comes next: the text of the law also opens the door to a speed control system. If the user does not lift his foot after a few seconds of excess, the ISA can act on its own. The official text specifies that the pedal could become progressively harder to depress: a way to prevent inadvertent excesses, or to dissuade those who would like to do so intentionally.
This system will thus be suspended if the driver accelerates even further, for example when overtaking. It will also stop working if the user fully releases the accelerator, or if an emergency braking system is activated. It will also be possible to deactivate the entire system at startup. The driver therefore remains in control on board in all circumstances, which is particularly crucial in emergency situations.
