New Ford Feature Can Recognize Speed Limit Signs and Slow Down Cars Automatically

 Automotive  

Ford has decided to do something about the leading cause of car accidents. The company has introduced a new safety feature that aims to prevent drivers from speeding by slowing down the car whenever it detects that a maximum posted speed limit has been exceeded.

Statistics show that speeding is one of the leading causes of car accidents in the United States, as well as worldwide. According to the NHTSA, about 10,000 traffic fatalities per year are linked to speeding-related accidents in the U.S., and the economic impact of speeding-related crashes is estimated at $40 billion a year. American automaker Ford has decided to do something about this serious threat to public safety and try to help curb this risky driving behavior. The Dearborn-based company has introduced a new safety feature that aims to prevent drivers from speeding by slowing down the car whenever it detects that a maximum posted speed limit has been exceeded.

Called “Intelligent Speed Limiter”, the system relies on a camera that is mounted on a car's windshield to recognize speed limit signs, and adjust the car's speed to prevent it from exceeding the posted limit. If it detects that a car is moving at a speed that is higher than the posted limit, the system will slow the car down, by reducing the speed through adjusting engine torque, rather than by applying the brakes automatically. It limits the amount of fuel that is supplied to the engine in order to control torque. It can detect speeds between 20 and 120 mph. After the car enters a zone with a higher speed limit, the system allows the driver to increase the speed. To determine the speed at which a vehicle is moving, the system uses sensors attached to the wheels.

Related articles Volkswagen Offers Increased In-Car Connectivity With Car-Net Telematics  Honda Shows Technology To Avoid Pedestrian-Car Collisions  How Robots are Being Used to Test the Safety of Self Driving Cars

However, Ford has added an option to this system that allows drivers to override it, and deactivate it entirely, as well as a feature for setting an absolute maximum speed, or the amount of speed over the speed limit that the driver can reach without the system slowing the car down.

"Intelligent Speed Limiter can remove one of the stresses of driving, helping ensure customers remain within the legal speed limit."

On top of helping prevent car crashes caused by speeding, the Intelligent Speed Limiter will surely reduce the number of speeding tickets, so it will help drivers save a lot of money, in addition to making roads safer. Each year, law enforcement officers in the U.S. issue 40 million speeding tickets, and with an average speeding ticket costing about $150, it's clear that such a system can yield significant savings.

“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 or are pulled over by law enforcement,” said Stefan Kappes, active safety supervisor, Ford of Europe, in a company press release. “Intelligent Speed Limiter can remove one of the stresses of driving, helping ensure customers remain within the legal speed limit.”

The Speed Limiter will be featured on the new Ford S-Max, that will soon hit dealerships in Europe, and further down the road, it will be installed on other models that are sold in the United States and other markets, as well. In addition to the Intelligent Speed Limiter, the minivan will be equipped with another sophisticated safety feature - the Pedestrian Detection system.

By Jordan Perch

Embed

Author Bio - Jordan Perch is an automotive fanatic and “safe driving” specialist. He is a writer for DMV.com, which is a collaborative community designed to help ease the stress and annoyance of “dealing with the DMV”