The new Ford S-MAX will debut an intelligent speed limiter

Exceeding the speed limit on a road involves several potential risks that drivers choose to take. On the one hand, there is the possibility of being photographed by a fixed or mobile speed camera with the resulting financial penalty, and on the other hand, and no less important, the risk to safety, both for the vehicle exceeding the permitted speed and for other road users.

To address this, Ford has designed an Intelligent Speed Limiter that will debut on the new S-MAX. This limiter uses a camera located in the front windscreen that reads the speed limit signs so that the system adjusts to them, either increasing or reducing speed smoothly and progressively.

It is operated through the steering wheel controls, although once activated it works automatically. When the limiter needs to reduce speed, the system restricts the amount of fuel reaching the engine instead of applying the brakes, as this would cause excessive wear on the braking system and directly affect ride comfort, as well as put at risk the drivers travelling behind on the motorway.

The intelligent speed limiter combines a speed limiter with a traffic sign recognition system. The system operates from 30 to 200 km/h and offers two additional functions. When excess speed is due to a downhill gradient, an alarm is triggered to alert the driver to apply the brakes, while the limiter can be temporarily deactivated by firmly pressing the accelerator pedal.

This speed limiter joins other safety and assistance technologies available across the brand’s range of vehicles, such as the Active Park Assist, Lane Keeping Aid and Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection.