Road - Want an ISA?

Now this is true, don’t go thinking I’m making this up, but those furriners across the waatter in EuroLand are up to no good again. Forever trying to justify their already fat salaries, exorbitant expense claims and inflate their over-spent budgets with ever dafter ideas, they have come up with a new ploy.

The EU is actively considering rules for new cars to be installed with Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology.

So what’s that all about? This is an on-board vehicle system which detects speed limits and can apply the brakes accordingly on the vehicle which you happen to be driving! They are also suggesting that existing vehicles could be retro-fitted with these devices.

This is not far fetched nonsense. The technology already exists. Motor sport currently uses transponders linked to GPS satellites which records not just the position and speed of a car on track or stage but what the engine, steering and suspension are doing. And as we all know adjustments to the car can be made by a bloke sitting in the pits with a computer even while the car is whistling past his nose at 200 mph.

That same technology is prevalent in trucks, buses and cars. We now have cars which can find a parking spot and park themselves while the ‘driver’ reads a newspaper. These same cars can detect whether a white line is being crossed, and can either take its own corrective measures or give the driver a jolt to wake him up.

In other words, we are losing control. As drivers, we are about to become passengers.

The trouble is our own politicians are not really interested. They will do nowt about such daft ideas then blame the Euro-ists - but by then it’s too late.

Nor do I see the FIA Institute getting vocal about this, but I reckon it could cause just as much trouble as it can save. What about temporary speed limits, roadworks, road conditions, other traffic?

We’re heading towards full-sized Scalextric for grown-ups - only those ‘driving’ the cars will be over-ruled and controlled by Big Brother.

So next time a politician tries to engage with you, just have a quiet (or not!) word in his ear.