Despite the national speed limit of 70mph, most cars can go much faster. GOV.UK1 estimated there were 1,633 fatalities from road accidents in the UK in 2024. Since speed is a major factor in many accidents, speed limiters are designed to help improve road safety.
- What is a speed limiter?
- Why are speed limiters being introduced?
- How do speed limiters work?
- Can you remove a speed limiter?
- How will having a speed limiter affect my car?
What is a speed limiter?
In short, a speed limiter is a safety device. Speed limiters are fitted to cars to prevent them from exceeding speed limits.
Speed limiters allow you to accelerate and brake as normal, but will warn you when you drive too fast.
Why are speed limiters being introduced?
Since 2022, new cars in the EU have been fitted with speed limiters. And as many cars in the UK are built to the same specs as our European cousins, some cars sold here will have speed limiters too.
They’re designed to help improve road safety by reducing the amount of road accidents. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has said the tech could reduce collisions by 30%, saving around 25,000 lives within 15 years2.
There’s other benefits too:
- Better fuel efficiency
- Less CO2 emissions
- Potential for lower insurance premiums.
How do speed limiters work?
Speed limiter technology, or Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), uses GPS data and speed sign recognition software to detect the limit in that area.
If you’re driving too fast, ISA won’t automatically apply the brakes. Depending on the system you have, your ISA could:
- Limit engine power to reduce your speed.
- Send a pulse or vibration through your pedal to warn you of your speed.
- Give you audio and visual warnings, prompting you to slow down.
Can you remove a speed limiter?
You can override most limiters, but they reset whenever the car is restarted. You can’t deactivate a speed limiter.
Remember, it’s dangerous and illegal to drive faster than the speed limit on any road.
How will having a speed limiter affect my car?
Fewer cars driving above speed limits could reduce the amount of road accidents. Not only would that make our roads safer, but it will lead to a drop in insurance premiums. Plus, drivers with speed limiters should get caught speeding less – saving them penalty points and keeping the cost of their car insurance down.
1Source: Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates: 2024 - GOV.UK
2 Source: “Intelligent Speed Assistance set for launch on all new EU vehicle types from 2022”
