Car will read speed signs

BMW Australia says its in-car system could be available on its high-end 7-Series early next year but is also likely to filter down to its cheaper models.

Company spokesman, Toni Andreevski, says he expects the speed warning system to be optional but at a "nominal cost" to buyers.

"I don't imagine it will be expensive," he says.

The speed system is expected to be linked into the car's optional lane-change warning technology.

The BMW system uses a camera fitted near the interior rear-vision mirror that scans the road ahead.

It "reads" signs along the roadside and then relays the information to the instrument cluster or the car's heads up display on the windscreen.

Andreevski says it can read both normal roadside signs, digital displays and even temporary roadside signs near road works.

"The design of speed advisory signs are common globally so the system's recognition protocols are the same in Australia," he says.

Andreevski says system will not slow a car to the posted speed limit though.

"It is purely an advisory function, informing the driver of the speed but it does not take control of the car," he says.

"The aim is to provide the driver with added information and they can choose to ignore it if they wish.

"It just helps drivers keep tabs on road speed."

BMW engineers from Germany are soon to calibrate and trial the system throughout Australia.

"We've got two German engineers arriving here soon to test the system," he says.

The engineers are expected to cover about 5000km of local urban and outback roads to make sure the system functions normally.

"We are field testing it like we do in other BMW markets," Andreevski says.

Apart from BMW, Opel, Audi and Mercedes-Benz are also developing similar systems for global markets.

Ultimately these devices could be forerunners to ‘intelligent’ speed limiting systems that automatically correct a vehicle's speed to the signposted speed.

However, these systems would still be allowed to be switched off to allow drivers to overtake.