Why don't auto makers "lock" the speed after a certain limit? It could prevent accidents due to speeding.

Question

Thanks for the answers...wow! they were posted within 10 minutes of my asking the question.

Anyways some points to consider - I think a lock at 90 mi/hr would be good enough, because...

1. Probably 60-70 % of the people never speed and wouldn't mind buying a car with a lock. You might ask, they don't need a lock...a good point!

2. The posted highest speed limit in many states is 70 mi/hr. With a 20 mil/hr buffer, I think the extra power needed for some emergency maneuver can be obtained.

Answer 1

If your talking about a law, two camps would object, libertarians who believe that would be excessive invasion of government into personal lives, and consumers that take their cars to tracks and legally drive as fast as they want to go.

There is also a great pile of case law going back to the founding of America that discourages "Nanny Laws". Although over the years several hot button issues have been the exception, like guns and taxes and abortion for a few examples.

Some cars today actually do have a governors, but they are usually set to protect the car from exceeding some design limitation (frequently tires) that let them save on production costs than to control driving habits.

Answer 2

whats up Dhaval, uniform gadget won't be able to be in position the following noticeably for speed. As in cities like Delhi the speed reduce is 50 kmph that's particularly ok for a city like Delhi yet is a punishment for those driving on highway, so as that's why. an additional desirable ingredient i might want to opt to inform that Highways too have speed limits e.g. ninety kmph for vehicles and 60 kmph for heavy autos and that too varies in accordance to the type of highway (4 lane or 6 lane). on the highways, highway Patrol Police of nationwide highway Authority of India take care that speed reduce is maintained by technique of issuing challans to those who damage the rule of thumb.

Answer 3

Locking the pedal (governor) at a certain speed would be dangerous.

If you're pulling out of an intersection and did not notice a car right on top of you, you may have to do an emergency maneuver to avoid the vehicle.

If your accelerator is locked at a certain level you may not be able to garner enough power out of the car to complete the emergency maneuver.

I"m sure you get the drift of it... it doesn't necessarily have to be that particular situation.

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Answer 4

I think all newer vehicles have them but they can be removed with a computer. My truck, 2006 Cummins Dodge Ram, cuts off the fuel at 109 and the engine stops at like 112. So they are preventing it, but there is always a way around these preventions.

Answer 5

People like you drive me nuts. The VAST majority of automobile accidents happen at or below 45 mph. The vast majority of accidents are caused by driver error, NOT speed. So would your solution be to install a speed limiter on vehicles at 40 mph, remove radios, cup holders and cell phones and bolt giant inflatable bumpers fore and aft on every car to prevent accidents? There are no 'governors' on modern cars. They are known as speed limiters and are programed into the EEC to prevent the engine from over-reving, NOT to limit speed.
Grow up.

Answer 6

Sometimes they do. My ex-g/f used to have a chevy truck and it was locked out at 94 mph. The contrl is called a governor and most manufactuers use one. The thing is, high performance vehicles don't use them (Corvette, Mustang, etc) and alot of kids are into the whole street racing thing, and no how to either override the governor or remove it altogether.

Answer 7

Unless its an old muscle or sports car, they do, just some examples:

1. 1994 Dodge 2500 Cummins tops out at 95 MPH
2. 2002 Dodge 2500 Cummins tops out at 120 MPH
3. 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix tops out at 105
4. 2006 Dodge 3500 Cummins tops out around 110
5. 2005 Ford Explorer tops out at 105
6. 2007 Toyota Camry tops out at 142

But anyone good with tools can remove a governor, or change the governor springs.

Answer 8

Most cars do have a sensor that makes cars top out at certain speeds. My husband used to have one that even though the speedometer went to 120, it topped at 85. However, these sensors can be removed without any defect to the car or visible void on the warranty.

Answer 9

Typcially amercians want to drive as fast as they can. Nobody will buy a car that is "locked" to the posted speed limits.

Answer 10

all new cars have a governor on them built into the computer that limits their top speed except high performance cars such as the corvette, viper, etc.