Speeding tickets? Goodbye, thanks to Ford!

They are a real nuisance, and they are not always issued because we have deliberately exceeded that limit, but because we were not aware of the sign indicating that the speed limit had been reduced. And always, always, there is a radar on the lookout to catch us and obligingly send us a nice traffic fine. But driver assistance systems also help us in this respect.

Ford has developed a speed limiter system that keeps the car from exceeding a maximum speed, preventing us from going over it and sparing us the unpleasant surprise of finding a fine in our inbox. For now, this system is fitted to the S-Max and Galaxy models, although the Ford Edge will soon get it too.

The speed limiter prevents the road’s limit from being exceeded

The Intelligent Speed Limiter from Ford can be adjusted so that the car limits its speed by reducing the amount of fuel reaching the engine. This way, it cannot exceed the set speed and stays below it. But this is not the only advantage of this system.

A camera mounted on the rear-view mirror captures traffic signs. A computer processes the image and determines the maximum speed for the section, adapting the speed to what the sign indicates. It also identifies other signs, such as the no-overtaking sign and others that indicate traffic conditions on various roads.

In addition, this speed limiter can use the navigation system’s maps to complete the information and use that data to apply the speed limits needed to stay below what is required on each section. Like all such systems, it does not work all the time; it can be deactivated at any moment by pressing the accelerator. This disables the function and allows the speed to be set manually. Under the driver’s responsibility, of course…

Source | Ford