New laws being introduced to motor manufacturers to ensure that all new cars are fitted with speed limiters won’t be adopted in Britain says a report in The Sun.
The introduction of the technology, which will limit cars to the local speed limit, will be compulsory for all vehicles built and driven in the European Union, however the Department for Transport has indicated that they will allow manufacturers to decide if they want to introduce the measures in this country.
While the EU is pushing ahead with a raft of strict safety measures on new cars, including tech which will reduce engine power should drivers go over the speed limit, ministers in Britain will instead consult on the rules.
The news came after staunch Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg rebuffed overtures from the continent, saying: “I don’t care what the EU does, any more than I care what the United States does or Singapore does.
“We don’t always want to be looking over our shoulders saying, ‘The EU is doing this, so perhaps we should do it too’.”
It’s unlikely that the technology would be abandoned on cars imported to the UK, however it has been suggested that car owners will be given the option of turning the technology off. All drivers across Europe can turn the system off in the first two years of implementation, before stricter guidelines are introduced later in the decade.
The official statement from the Department for Transport was a little more diplomatic than Rees-Mogg’s comment.
“The UK’s departure from the EU provides us with the platform to capitalise on our regulatory freedoms,” DfT spokesman said.
“We’re currently considering the vehicle safety provisions included in the EU’s General Safety Regulation and will implement requirements that are appropriate for Great Britain and improve road safety.”