BMW keeps eye on speed

All-new flagship 7 Series has just been previewed in Europe and the first cars will be delivered in Australia early next year.

A car that keeps a constant watch for speed signs, then updates the driver on the latest legal limit, is about to hit the road.

It uses a high-tech combination of a forward-facing camera and recognition software that can identify standard speed limit signs _ which use the same basic design around the world _ to create a new benchmark for speed limit warnings.

It can also respond instantly to changes in variable speed limits, as well as temporary limits in school zones and roadworks, then flash a warning to the driver.

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It avoids the potential errors in speed limit warning systems being developed with the same global positioning satellites used for in-car navigation systems.

The new system is fitted to the upcoming BMW 7 Series limousine and is expected to cascade quickly through the rest of the Germany luxury brand's models. If the technology is popular, BMW is also likely to license the system to other carmakers.

The all-new flagship 7 Series has just been previewed in Europe and the first cars will be delivered in Australia early next year, most likely with the 'Speed Limit Display' system as standard equipment.

"We are not sure yet of the final specification of the car, but this system looks very interesting. It could be a significant safety bonus," the spokesman for BMW Australia, Toni Andreevski, said yesterday.

The system eliminates any doubt about the legal limit and could put an end to police asking the classic "Do you know what the speed limit is here?" when they stop a speeding driver.

But BMW has no plans to link the system to any form of automatic speed governor, unlike some of the people behind satnav systems. It says safety systems should always advise the driver, not try to take control.

"The human brain is still the most complex computer in the world. And the only one that can make moral choices," Andreevski said.

The BMW system uses a camera fitted near the interior mirror which looks forward for the telltale combination of a white sign with black numbers, usually inside a red circle. It can read painted metal signs as well as dynamic digital displays.

The advantage of the BMW system in the 7 Series is that the limit, and any warning, is flashed into the jetfighter-style heads-up digital display. This projects critical information including a car's speed into the driver's direct eyeline.

But it will is also expected to be adapted to other models with a conventional dash and warning lights.