One kilometer too many on the clock and the alarm goes off: these are the consequences of new European Union regulations.
21.01.2025, 05:2722.01.2025, 09:34
Remo Hess, Bruxelles / ch media
Cars are increasingly equipped with technology: they flash, they vibrate and now they make noise.Image: KEYSTONE
Did you recently buy a new car? So maybe you too are annoyed by his eternal squawking. It’s not the trunk that’s open. It’s not the seat belt that’s not fastened. It’s just one or two kilometers per hour too much on the clock. Just press the accelerator and the beep-beep will sound. And this happens not only during rapid acceleration in the city, but also when overtaking on wide intercity roads and other highways.
It was European officials in Brussels who invented this mechanism. The “General Vehicle Safety Regulation” provides that from summer 2024 at the latest, all new cars sold in the EU must be equipped with “Intelligent Speed Assist”. Will it put an end to speeding? It is certainly possible to temporarily deactivate this “brake on pleasure”, but it is not possible to get rid of it permanently. In fact, the speed assistant is automatically reactivated each time the car is restarted.
The new EU rule also applies in Switzerland because the technical regulations for vehicles are harmonized. The bilateral agreement on the elimination of technical barriers to trade (ARM) constitutes the basis. For this reason, new vehicles in Switzerland are also equipped with driver assistance systems.
Except for one detail, which Thomas Rohrbach from the Federal Roads Office (Ofrou) explains to us:
“Speed assistance constitutes an exception and is explicitly not included in Swiss regulations”
In other words, car manufacturers are not required to install or activate beeping assistance for Swiss cars.
Swiss traders receive very diverse reactions
If Swiss cars still squeal, it’s because the Swiss market is too small for a special solution to be worthwhile. It’s difficult to manually turn off the “jingle” after the fact in the garage for several reasons. First, it naturally incurs expense, but, more importantly, disabling it also interferes with the vehicle’s security software. And for modern cars, which are practically laptops on wheels, that’s a tricky thing.
The “EU auxiliary policeman” is of course a topic of discussion among traders. Dino Graf from Amag says that customers have the most diverse reactions:
-“From understanding to complete incomprehension and anger at the ‘guardianship’ – our employees at the garage see it all happen.”
Also at Mercedes-Benz, the speed assistant is standard and cannot be deactivated. Many customers, however, would appreciate “the audible warning that warns them of a fine,” explains spokesperson Livia Steiner.
Those who get angry despite everything are hitting a wall among those in charge in Brussels. The argument is sober, supported by numerous figures. And yes, the situation is clear: more than 20,000 people are killed each year on European roads.
More than a third of these deaths are due to speeding. And it’s not just those behind the wheel, but often also pedestrians, cyclists and children. The argument of “freedom of movement for free citizens” is therefore quickly put into perspective.
The “tachometer policeman” soon to be obsolete
A look into the past reminds us that the introduction of compulsory seat belt use in the 1980s also attracted considerable criticism. And the introduction of the blood alcohol limit in the 1960s also gave rise to sometimes hostile reactions. A guardianship? That’s already what people said at the time. But today, both have become obvious.
The intelligent driving assistant is only an intermediate step on the road to fully autonomous driving anyway.
The revised highway code will come into force in Switzerland from March this year. It makes (partially) automated driving possible in certain situations. well defined, such as on the highway. In addition to American Teslas, certain high-end cars from BMW or Mercedes are already compatible with autopilot. So far, no manufacturer has contacted Astra to request a corresponding authorization.
Conclusion: In the not too distant future, most cars should operate without any driver intervention. There will then be no need for a semi-intelligent police officer beeping at the meter.
Translated and adapted from German by Léa Krejci
