Cars could be fitted with speed limiters under new government guidelines to revamp safety measures.

A consultation on a range of rules to reduce the engine power or set off alarms if drivers exceed the speed limit is expected to be announced by ministers and backed by environmentalists.

The possible implementation comes after a ruling by the European Union that it will be mandatory for news cars to come with technology from this summer.

Proponents say the system has been shown to reduce road death by up to 20 per cent.

The UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency previously said it could adopt the EU rules after Brexit to align road laws and car production with the bloc.

However, the move has been criticised by some MPs as an ‘anti-driver campaign’ that will ruin the market for high-speed cars, the Telegraph reports.

‘This will completely destroy the luxury car market, and I think there are so many aspects of the anti-driver campaign now that are coming to the fore,’ said Craig Mackinlay, the Conservative chairman of the Fair Fuel UK Motorists and Hauliers all-party parliamentary group.

‘This is more Big Brother in your cockpit. We’ll see more of this if we go up the route of road pricing.

I don’t think people have thought of the freedom aspects of all of this. It just sounds very unconservative.’

The so-called intelligent speed assistant (ISA) relies on a combination of GPS tracking and cameras within the vehicle to assess the limit and then notify drivers.

This can be done in different ways with manufacturers being able to choose from an alarm system similar to when a seatbelt is not being worn or a push back on the accelerator pedal among other things.

The system may fall apart when there are temporary speed restrictions or ambiguous road signs causing drivers to speed unintentionally, experts have warned.

Nevertheless, manufacturers such as Ford and Jaguar have already begun including the technology in their cars.

A Conservative member of the Commons transport select committee warned the introduction of ISAs would be ‘unnecessary nannying’.

‘We’ve got a well-established system of people taking their driving test, understanding the law, proving they can drive properly and then being trusted to do so, with harsh penalties if they don’t,’ Greg Smith said.

‘Anything that then seeks to layer in more distrust of the state of its citizens to be able to do what is sensible, legal and practical is just unnecessary nannying.’

The Department for Transport said no decisions had been made on car safety regulations.

‘The UK’s departure from the EU provides us with the platform to capitalise on our regulatory freedoms,’ a department spokesman said. 

‘We’re currently considering the vehicle safety provisions included in the EU’s General Safety Regulation and will implement requirements that are appropriate for Great Britain and improve road safety.’

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