Speeding to the wrong conclusion?
During one of my trawls through various BBC pages I came across the following story.
It seems that Ford has designed
an electronic key that will allow parents to preset certain aspects
of the car, including its top speed, the volume of the stereo and
various warning tones - for example if the driver is not wearing a
seatbelt.
Many safety campaigners have applauded this as a huge step forward
in vehicle safety. The default top speed is 80mph and warnings can
be set for if a car goes faster than 45, 55 or 65 mph.
This all leaves me with one question. How can a parent predict the
safest speed in advance of any journey? I agree that there are
statistics to show that young people have more accidents (most
people under 25 will agree that insurance premiums generally
reflect this view), and yes, speed is the overriding factor in many
accidents.
However, picture the scene - an inexperienced driver has attempted
to overtake when there isn't quite enough space. An obstruction
is coming up and the driver behind is driving too close. The option
to speed up and get through the gap is probably the only resort in
this situation, so impeding the vehicle with a top speed would
actually be dangerous.
And what if both drivers have a limiter? I'm sure most people
have seen two HGVs with the same top speed attempt an overtake
manoeuvre. Being stuck in someone's blind spot doesn't
sound safe to me.
Or, perhaps a particularly strict parent would choose a lower limit
for the car. How safe would it be to have a car on a dual carriage
way stuck driving 20mph slower than everyone else?
Surely it would be better to educate people about road safety than
to leave it all up to a piece of software in the car? If a new
driver thinks they don't have to worry about their speed
because the car will limit them then they're not learning to
drive to the conditions they are faced with.
This will lead to people driving with the pedal flat on the floor,
taking a measure of control away from drivers. And of course, it
misses one vital point. If the top speed has been set at say,
60mph, what difference does that make on a 30mph road?
COMMENTS
No comments added for this entry.
POST A COMMENT
