Technology that helps drivers to avoid incurring costly speeding tickets has emerged as one of the most popular features for Ford customers in Europe.

When activated by a driver, Ford’s Intelligent Speed Limiter utilises cameras to read traffic speed signs and can adjust the throttle to help drivers avoid exceeding speeding limits, a cause not only of costly fines, but also driving bans and accidents.

This week saw The European Traffic Police Network, TISPOL, effect a speed enforcement week across 27 European countries. A similar event last year resulted in more than 540,000 detections. An increasing focus on speed cameras will see an extra 500 speed cameras introduced in France by 2018, while in the UK, the Parliamentary Transport Committee has called for the more widespread use of speed cameras that measure average vehicle speeds along stretches of road.Recently, the first-ever speed camera was introduced to Luxembourg.

Since Intelligent Speed Limiter was first launched on the Ford S-MAX sport activity vehicle and Galaxy people-mover last year, 95 percent of people who bought one of these models chose a vehicle equipped with the technology.

“Drivers are not always conscious of speeding, and sometimes only becoming aware they were going too fast when they see the flash of the camera, receive a fine in the mail or are pulled over by law enforcement,” said Stefan Kappes, active safety supervisor, Ford of Europe.  “Intelligent Speed Limiter can remove one of the stresses of driving, helping ensure customers remain within the legal speed limit.”

Intelligent Speed Limiter combines the functionality of two Ford technologies:
Adjustable Speed Limiter – which enables drivers to manually set a maximum vehicle speed.
Traffic Sign Recognition – which provides drivers with the latest detected speed limit, cancellation signs and overtaking restrictions via the instrument cluster display

Ford Intelligent Speed Limiter can help ensure the maximum speed is automatically adjusted to remain within changing speed limits. Drivers activate Intelligent Speed Limiter in the vehicle menu using the steering wheel controls.

In vehicles equipped with onboard navigation, Intelligent Speed Limiter also uses map data for improved accuracy.

The system uses a windscreen-mounted camera to monitor road signs and when the speed limit is lower than that maximum set speed, Intelligent Speed Limiter slows the vehicle as required. As the speed limit rises, the system allows the driver to accelerate up to the set speed, providing it does not exceed the new speed limit.

Also read: Ford recycles enough aluminium to build 30,000 F-150 bodies every month