My neighbor has replaced his Mercedes-Benz EQA from last year's model with the very latest model. To me, the two cars look exactly the same, but the 2025 model has, among other things, a longer range and a better voice control function. It has also got one thing that my neighbor doesn't appreciate as much: When the speed limit is broken, there is an annoying warning sound. Mon can turn it off, but the next time the car is started, the warning comes on again.
The annoying notification is SLWF - Speed Limit Warning Function - which is part of the EU's ISA project - Intelligent Speed Assistance
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All new cars manufactured after 7 July 2024 must be equipped with an intelligent speed limiter. The EU has made a detailed list of the new requirements. In general, the car is required to measure speed and identify signs. Speed can either be measured via speedometer or – even better – via GPS. Sign recognition can either use data from the road map, or optical sign reading - or both. Furthermore, it is required that the current speed limit be displayed on the screen. If the speed limit is broken, the speed limit assistant will come into effect to "encourage" the driver to keep to the speed limit. This can either be done by increasing the resistance in the gas pedal when the speed limit is broken, or by warning with an audio signal (3 beeps) or by vibrating the steering wheel.
A positive feature?
Most people will probably choose to turn off the notification. Fortunately, it can be done. But the EU has mandated that the warning system (SLWF) must be active the next time the car is started. If someone wants to disconnect the system permanently, the car must give an error code and error message. Testing of Intelligent Speed Assistance is of course also included in upcoming EU inspections (MOT).
I became acquainted with speed limit assistance when I drove a brand new Toyota Corolla Cross a couple of weeks ago. Toyota calls the system RSA - Road Sign Assistance. It emits three high-pitched beeps at one-second intervals when the speed limit is broken. Terribly annoying, but I still chose not to turn off the function.
I usually try to keep the speed limit and at the same time keep a steady speed. In the 70-zone towards Mjøndalen, the traffic was heavy - and occasionally moved slightly above and slightly below the speed limit. After just a few alerts, I noticed that I unconsciously slowed down to avoid hearing the annoying alert sound. This is exactly what the high gentlemen in the EU want.
Toyota follows EU rules. The car read the signs completely correctly, except for one instance when it picked up a 60 sign from a parallel road that ran on the side of our 80 road. I have nothing to complain about Toyota's RSA system, but I wish the speed limit assistance had been even more intelligent.
When lifting the reduced speed limit
When, for example, you have come out of a 60 zone, I think that there are more people than me who increase the speed carefully a few meters before the 80 sign. If you do that, the warning beeps and during the seconds the warning continues, you have not yet reached the new legal speed.
When the speed is at the tipping point
I also wish there was a function that prevents the warning from repeating itself when the speed is just above and just below the speed limit, for example in 50 zones. One could at least insert a pause between the notifications.
If you want to sell a car that was registered before July this year, you can use the following selling point: The car was registered before the EU's speed limit notification came into force!
Tipper the car industry has already secured cars without speed limit warning.
See
The EU's new directive on Intelligent Speed Assistance
Toyota Road Sign Assistance
