Ford is testing the possibility of automatically reducing the speed of its cars in certain defined zones in order to prevent any exceeding of the authorized speed. This technology called “geofencing” aims to improve road safety.
Geofencing allows you to define an area in which vehicles will automatically slow down, and cannot exceed the speed limit in force. Concretely, once entered in this virtual zone, the connected vehicles will be automatically restrained. It will only be possible to reaccelerate following having left it, even if the driver can bypass the system at any time, specifies the manufacturer.
A technology that Ford would see to put in place in urban centers, especially those where the speed is limited to 30 km / h around schools, hospitals or commercial areas with high traffic.
It is in this sense that Ford is launching a 12-month test program in the city of Cologne, Germany, with the new E-Transit electric van.
Eventually, the manufacturer even believes that it will be possible for drivers to define their own geofencing zones, in particular on private industrial sites, or to define dynamic limits, depending on the time of day or possible work, for example. .
Ford recalls that speed is involved in 29% of fatal road accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists in Europe. The manufacturer also puts forward the financial argument of such a system, which might save motorists fines for speeding.
