This paper describes a simple additional device, a 'speed-Switch', that would guarantee low car and engine speed and limited acceleration on urban roads; two German prototypes with simple technology have been in use without any problems for more than a year. The speed-Switch would set the maximum speed of a car to any desired level, for example 50kph or 30kph. At the same time, maximum rpm and acceleration would be limited to about 2,300 rpm (depending on the car model) and about 1.0m/sec/sec. The device can be attached to all types of road vehicles, including both cars and trucks. Mathematical calculations show that, with this device, road safety could be increased by a third, and fatal accidents could be minimised. Further transmission, recovery of brake energy, and automatic motor on-off would reduce noise, air pollution and fuel consumption drastically. Optimal results could be achieved for city traffic, if the speed limit on motorways was reduced to about 120kph. This would enable cars to be about 50% lighter, and all environmental damages caused by today's cars to be halved, without any restrictions on vehicle size, variety, comfort, luxury and transport quality.
Samenvatting