Govt. ECU-Control Speed limit 120 km/h Mandatory New Cars?

Considering the following:

Poor self-control of speed by drivers in India little or no speed enforcement on highways A large percentage of accidents on highways are linked to speeding The highest speed limit anywhere in the country is 120 km/h we don’t have autobahns like Germany Cars today have advanced ECUs.

Then why should car manufacturers be allowed to make and sell cars that can run at speeds above 120 km/h? Government can. Isn’t the ECU-controlled speed limit of 120 km/h mandatory on all new cars? This can be applied retroactively to all cars already sold, at least those cars that have ECU capability.

Cars can still have big engines and be sporty to drive; The thrill comes from high acceleration (from 0 to max 120) rather than top speed.

Here’s what BHP an Ishaan has to say on the matter:

And then what happens when you want to overtake a bus moving at 115? Go to 120 and spend more time in the process of risky overtakes. Speed isn’t really everything you know. Road infrastructure, driver training, and vehicle maintenance arguably play large roles if not contribute to the majority of accidents. It’s just that it’s easier to blame speed than others because they would constitute a higher expense to rectify. I think what you are proposing is a Band-Aid sort of solution to this issue.

Here’s what BHPian Resperminute has to say on the matter:

What if it is an emergency? What if a mafia corporation is chasing you and the only way to escape with your life is to go at 200 kmp/h in the dark of night? I think the question is as unrealistic as the scenario I came up with.

Here’s what BHPian Red Terrano had to say on the matter:

Do you have any scientific data to back up these claims or is this just an opinion/feeling?

I have been driving for ~35 years on all types of Indian roads. During this time, I have seen highways evolve from 1+1 to 3+3 and even 4+4.

The longest drive I have done is from Pune, Maharashtra to Roing, Arunachal Pradesh.

I think I have enough hours to collect factual observations and formulate a conclusion.

Most Indians can safely control their vehicles at high speeds. Like everywhere, there is a small percentage of rotten apples.

The problem with highways is not the speeding vehicles, but the slow ones, sometimes in the fast lane. Indian lane discipline sucks.

India doesn’t have autobahns? Have you driven on any of the myriad expressways that exist in India today?

Here’s what BHPian V. Narayan has to say on the matter:

Thanks for the suggestion. Welcome to Team-BHP where any suggestion with speed or small engines will be met with derision, as you can see from the first few responses. While speed is not the only factor, it is a factor and just because not all factors can be addressed, does not mean that one should not. I would vote for 100 km/h as the ECU imposed limit. I also sincerely believe that since we are not only the second most populous country but also the second most densely populated country among the 20 largest by population, our cars need to be designed in terms of size {small}, engines In terms of power {low} should suit our needs. And turning circles {Kada}.

IMHO this is a valid and simple solution, one of many to help curb our accident rate. No single solution will solve our road safety problem, from better training, resistance, or better implementation of speed control, but that doesn’t mean the ones we can implement shouldn’t just because others are more complex or Suffer from a lack of administrative capacity. and civil indiscipline. In our country, with its economic and social diversity, the yuppie driving the highway has to co-exist with the farmer and his cows and the truck driver and tractor. And our laws have to {and sometimes do} incorporate that reality. Those highways were built for the safe and proper transportation of trucks, buses, cars, and often other modes of wheeled transportation. They weren’t built for wealthy people looking to accelerate or for the thrill of driving fast.

These views are likely to be highly unpopular on Team BHP.

Here’s what BHPian Dhanush has to say on the matter:

I have a question: how many accidents are actually due to speed? Get the data.

Almost always, there are other factors involved. Not just speed. Like drunk driving, emotional aggression, low expertise, lack of safety awareness, etc.

IMO, driving is being taken too lightly nowadays compared to the olden days. I remember, in the olden days, a driver was supposed to be an operator of heavy machinery and didn’t need to know all the basic mechanics and safety dos and don’ts of machinery (cars).

In today’s fast-paced life, a driving license can be of great help to a single mother to drop her child at school or buy groceries without dependency.