BMW 7 Series will read speed limit signs on the move

A new BMW that reads speed limit signposts and variable speed limit signs and shows the limit in the instrument cluster has been unveiled.

Speed Limit Display ensures drivers always know what speed zone they are in when driving. This is especially important on roads which may have several different speed zones, or variable speed limits depending on traffic flows.

“The new Speed Limit Display will significantly reduce the risk of drivers exceeding the speed limit by mistake, especially on roads with multiple speed zones,” says Tom Noble, General Manager Marketing, BMW Group Australia.

A camera fitted near the interior mirror permanently monitors signs by the road as well as variable speed limit signs and compares this with the data saved in the navigation system. Even when the speed limit has changed on account of temporary conditions – for example in the case of roadworks – priority is given to the data recorded by the camera.

The speed allowed is presented to the driver in the instrument cluster, or in the head-up display on the car’s windscreen, significantly reducing the risk of breaking the speed limit by mistake. However, the BMW Speed Limit Display is an information system only. It does not intervene in the control of the vehicle or its speed in any way. The responsibility for maintaining a correct and safe speed will always rest with the driver.

The long-standing BMW head-up display system allows drivers to view a range of safety related information on the windscreen in their line of sight. This includes navigation directions, cruise control speed settings as well as actual road speed and vehicle system warnings.

The new BMW Speed Limit Display warning system will be especially useful in areas of Australia where a proliferation of speed zones on a single road, or within a neighbourhood, make it difficult for drivers to know what the prevailing speed limit is. The Speed Limit Display is able to read painted metal signs as well as dynamic digital displays.

The new BMW 7 Series will be the first production car available with Speed Limit Display when it is introduced in Europe later this year. The timing of Australian introduction will be confirmed closer to the local arrival of the new BMW 7 Series next year.