News

USA: New cars could soon come standard with anti-speeding devices

NTSB has reportedly asked 17 automakers to install passive ISA technology in their new vehicles.

According to media reports, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has suggested that new cars should come with Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology as standard. This new tech warns drivers when their vehicle is above the speed limit.

Reports state that the ISA tech will come in two types: Passive and Active. The first type just sends warnings to the driver when driving over the speed limit. These warnings include visual, auditory, or haptic alerts. The second type is more intrusive, which actively makes speeding more difficult but not impossible. There are also said to be other active systems that can entirely prevent the drivers from going over the speed limit, however, specific examples of such systems weren't mentioned by the NTSB.

NTSB has reportedly asked 17 automakers to install passive ISA technology in their new vehicles. The agency has also advised NHTSA to develop guidelines for states that could help in ISA interlock programs and reduce repeat offenders.

The need for the anti-speeding device arose after NTSB investigated a crash in North Las Vegas in early 2022. The incident was caused by a speeding Dodge Challenger, which ran a red light & entered the intersection at 103 mph. The car reportedly collided with five other vehicles, killing nine people. The agency also reports that in 2021, there were 12,330 speeding-related fatalities in the USA.

Source: Motor1

 

News

BMW 330Li: How I deleted the 80/120 alarm & enabled cool features

You can try to do this yourself by downloading software like Bimmercode or Carly, but I'd prefer to leave this in the hands of those who know what they are doing.

BHPian Stryker recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Since there are a few questions about coding the BMW, I thought I will put down a few notes on the same. You can get more information in this thread.

I got my car coded by a Ludhiana based coder, who has coded hundreds of BMWs, Audis, Mercs, Skodas, VWs, you name it. Many of TBHPians have got it done through him too. He can be reached via a DM to his Instagram handle @drcodemyvw. The steps are:

1. Buy an RJ45 to OBD connector (Ethernet to OBD) like this one on Amazon, or you can buy one directly from him (which is what I did).

2. Once the cable is with you, connect it to a Windows laptop and to the OBD port on your car.

3. You then allow control of your laptop via remote desktop sharing app like TeamViewer.

4. A VPN driver will be installed on your laptop and then the magic happens remotely.

5. 15 minutes later the car is coded and all the hidden features unlocked.

That's all there is to it. Simple and easy. Of course, you can try to do this yourself by downloading software like Bimmercode or Carly, but I'd prefer to leave this in the hands of those who know what they are doing. You don't want to end up messing up something and then not knowing how to undo it.

Here's a photo of my car during the process:

Changes made

  • The 80/120 kmph alarm was removed - This was the main reason I got this done. Those alarms are extremely loud and very very irritating. Now I can drive in peace and I usually have my own personal alarm sitting right next to me!
  • Sports Plus mode - I didn't know about this mode and after he told me about it, I was like "Yes!" and boy, does it make the car go!
  • Comfort Plus mode - Haven't explored this much, as the regular Comfort mode is quite good.
  • Exhaust Flap Control in iDrive - This controls the engine sound and you can set it as "Auto", "Balanced" or "Sport". I have left it at Auto, there seems no need to make the engine roar all the time.
  • ///M startup animation - Replaces the standard BMW logo with the ///M logo. Looks cool.
  • Rear camera zoom - Pretty useful feature to have if you want a closer look at some obstruction behind you.
  • Lane change blink to 5 times - The default setting is 3 and this one makes it blink 5 times. That's all.
  • ///M Sport guages and fonts - Changes the default font to a more sportier looking guage and font for the driver's display.
  • One touch closing of tailgate - The default is hold the button on the key fob until it closes, this is changed to just one touch.
  • Default startup mode to Eco Pro - The default is Comfort mode, this is changed to Eco Pro mode.

It is perplexing as to why some of these changes require coding. For ex., the blinker change to 5 times or the one touch closing of the tailgate. I mean, why would BMW leave this out by default in the first place? Who makes these decisions?

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
Got BHP?