Did you know that from July 7, any new car manufactured for sale in the European Union, must be fitted with speed limiters and a Black Box monitoring system?
The new regulations have been introduced in a bid to tackle the increasing number of people killed, or seriously injured, on our roads. Current cars on the road are not affected and even though the UK has now left the EU, the law still applies.
Monitoring your car’s mechanical performance
The speed limiter, determined by the driver, will stop the car from travelling over a certain limit, whilst the Black Box, which is powered by Intelligent Speed Assist technology (ISA), will track your vehicle’s mechanical performance. This includes:
- Speed
- Acceleration
- Braking
- Steering positions
- Airbag deployment
- Seat belt use
Finding reasons for accidents
Jas Thiara, Head of Criminal Litigation & Motoring Offences explained more. “In the event of an accident, or another vehicle incident, it will be possible for police to access the data stored in your Black Box. This will help them to work out what happened in the moments leading up to a crash, giving solid and provable reasons for what happened next.
She continued. “At this stage, we are still unsure whether your insurance company will have access to the data as well. If they do, there is the possibility that they could terminate your policy if the standard of driving is below the agreed expectation, or you could receive reduced premiums if your driving is deemed excellent.”
Like the famous black boxes on aeroplanes, they can withstand crashes, flooding and fire, so there will be no issues with retrieving any data stored on them. First time drivers might already be familiar with black boxes as their insurance provider may have insisted on one and reduced its insurance premiums as a result.”
Support and advice
If you need help and advice about any criminal or motoring offence issue then please contact Jas Thiara, Head of Criminal Litigation & Motoring Offences at Alsters Kelley Solicitors Ltd on 02477 710200 or email jas.thiara@alsterskelley.com.
Please call 02477 710 241 to speak to a member of the team and to make an appointment with one of our criminal lawyers at any of our six offices.
Jas Thiara
Jas joined Alsters Kelley in 2006 and was appointed Associate Solicitor with the firm in June 2007 and is also Head of the Criminal Litigation & Motoring Offences Department.
02477 710200
jas.thiara@alsterskelley.com