Not so fast.

Australia is getting left behind.

ALL new UK cars could be fitted with a special gadget to stop you speeding from next year According to Sally Fuller (The Sun News paper 2 Feb 2021).

The Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology will alert drivers when they are going too fast and can intervene if people continue to drive above the limit.

It will use traffic-sign recognition cameras and GPS data to determine the speed limit on a road.

It will then automatically limit the engine power and a vehicle's speed if the driver does not slow down themselves.

The new rules were provisionally agreed by the EU, but it is expected to also apply in the UK – despite Brexit.

The Department for Transport says they are not adopting it yet but a decision will be made in the near future.

Many models already use ISA technology, including Ford, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Renault.

But the speed limiters could be made mandatory in all new vehicles in 2022.

The EU says the plan could help avoid 25,000 road deaths and 140,000 serious injuries by 2038 and aims ultimately to cut road deaths to zero by 2050.

Statistics show more than 1,700 people are killed on UK roads every year.

A total of 1,752 people were killed in reported road traffic accidents in Britain in 2019, similar to the level seen since 2012.

Campaigners have welcomed the news, saying it will save thousands of lives.

Road safety charity Brake says speed is a contributory factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes.

Brake's director of campaigns Joshua Harris said: "Last year, a vital piece of EU legislation passed with the potential to prevent 25,000 road deaths over 15 years – a landmark moment for road safety.

"The move to ensure that all new cars have to have Intelligent Speed Assistance installed is part of a landmark package of road safety measures adopted by the EU last year.

"These new measures have the potential to prevent 25,000 road deaths and 140,000 serious injuries over the next fifteen years and so it is absolutely crucial that the UK adopts the changes into our domestic law, to arrest the stagnation in our road safety record."

Sally Lines, CEO of the Road Safety Trust, said: "Research has been carried throughout Europe and Australia and it has shown that motorists drive more slowly when using an Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) system.

"With this research in mind, an initiative that can reduce speed offending will help to make the roads safer and reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries. 

"However, ISA systems only anticipate the legal speed and cannot replace the driver's awareness of the weather and current surroundings.

"If, for example, it is poor visibility due to weather conditions and a driver is going past a school, it would not be appropriate for the driver to rely on the ISA and drive at 29mph.

"We welcome improvements that can be made to the road infrastructure and vehicles using technology, however it is also key for drivers to use due care and attention when driving."

Other safety measures approved by the European Commission include advanced emergency breaking and lane keeping technology.

There are also several other new rules to look out for in the near future.

Drivers will face fines of £200 and six penalty points on their licence for holding their mobile phone while driving for any reason later this year.

And parking on pavements could soon be illegal across the country, with rule breakers facing £70 fines.