Volvo to limit top speeds of new cars to 112mph: 'Not for boy racers'

Volvo has said it will limit the top speed of its new cars to 180kph (112mph) from next year because “too many people get seriously injured or even killed because of excessive speeding”.

Chief executive Hakan Samuelsson said: “While a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it’s worth doing if we can even save one life.”

He said there are two other major causes of traffic fatalities – intoxication and distraction, and the company was also looking for new ways to combat these.

Volvo is investigating how a combination of smart speed control and “geofencing” technology could automatically limit speeds around schools and hospitals in future.

“We want to start a conversation about whether car makers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that changes their driver’s behaviour, to tackle things like speeding, intoxication or distraction,” said Mr Samuelsson. “We don’t have a firm answer to this question, but believe we should take leadership in the discussion and be a pioneer.”

A Volvo is “not a car for boy racers”, Mr Samuelsson told The Independent. He said Volvo drivers “want to protect what is important to them”

He also said there will need to be a debate as to how “big brother” Volvo should be in the context of these safety developments.

In 1959, when Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seat belt there was also a discussion about the balance between free will and car makers’ responsibility to those inside their vehicles.

open image in gallery

The company cited figures from the US government’s highway safety agency showing that 25% of traffic fatalities in 2017 were caused by speeding.

AA spokesman Luke Bosdet was not convinced the 112mph limit would have a profound impact on UK roads, but said British drivers will need to get used to accepting more decision-making technology in their vehicles in future.

Speaking to The Independent he said: “This is way above the speed limit. Even if they limit it to 90 or 100 miles an hour it’s still far above the speed limit. It may be applicable to a subset of motoring enthusiasts - what you might call the motorheads - but the reality is everybody has to work within the restrictions of the speed limit - 70mph.

“112mph is well outside that range. It might be more applicable on German autobahns where there are no speed restrictions, but a lot of our motorways are being turned into smart motorways so the chances of being caught speed are increasing dramatically.”

He added: “But UK motorists are going to have to accept more control over the speeds they do, particularly [regarding] self driving cars and related technology, where the road network will probably dictate what speed you can do.

“[Speed limiters] will become inevitable as we move towards driverless vehicles, and a part of that isn’t so much the ‘killjoy factor’, as trying to make the road system as efficient as possible.”

Currently the lowest top speed of any car made by Volvo is 118mph, and the highest is 155mph. Models from Porsche, Bentley and Ferrari, and a few others, will top 200mph.

Brake, the road safety charity told The Independent: “Brake has actively been calling for technology which prevents drivers travelling over the speed limit, known as Intelligent Speed Assistance, to be fitted to all new vehicles as standard. Technology has great potential to drive improvements in road safety and prevent crashes.

“We want the Government to mandate new lifesaving technologies, such as ISA, on all new vehicles and car makers to fit this kind of technology as standard.”

Volvo is based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Sister brands in the group, owned by Geely of China, such as Polestar and Lynk & Co will not be subject to the new limit.