With plans for more varied speed limits and "zero tolerance" speeding initiatives introduced in several British towns, drivers are being forced to spend more time staring at the speedometer when they should be watching the road.
Thankfully several car firms are taking this on board, with BMW's new 5-series featuring on-screen speedometer as an option, whereby the speed is shown as a reflection within eyeshot on the windscreen. Meanwhile other car firms such as Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Renault offer on-board bleepers, which can be programmed to signal when you go over a certain set speed.
However, for the rest of us, particularly those in used cars, a new unit is on sale now which may save us clocking up those extra points, or running into the back of someone while studiously monitoring our speed.
Speedguard is a small and simple-to-use device that works off the pulse signals given off by most speedometers. The unit itself is about the size of a matchbox and can be stuck somewhere on the dash. It is then wired to either the back of the radio or some other central location that feeds into the car's electrics. A small wire then runs from there to the unit itself.
It's a pretty simple idea. When you reach the legal limit, or whatever limit you want to drive at, you simply push the LED button on the Speedguard box to set the limit. From then on the LED light is green unless you exceed that limit, when the bleeper sounds and the light turns red. The unit can be reset as you move into different speed zones.
It's a useful device, if a little costly at €100 before fitting, and could save you some valuable points. However, it does depend on two factors. First, it still leaves it up to the driver to set the system at the right speed, and secondly if you have a habit of driving right to the limit you will undoubtedly be driven to insanity by the constant buzzing. But then again, it may just persuade you to slow down, if only for the sake of your mental health.
In time, most cars will probably fit their own alerts, but until that time this is a useful alert device for those worried about penalty points and in particular those whose jobs depend on keeping a clean licence.
