AA on speedo error
We sometimes receive queries from AA members questioning why their vehicle’s speedometer reads higher than their GPS or digital speed monitors on the side of roads. Does this mean that it’s broken or unreliable?
First and foremost, speedos in most vehicles are designed to over-estimate the speed of travel. International law has long required modern cars to overstate true speed. The applicable standard for many vehicles sold in NZ is a European standard that specifies that speedometers must not indicate a speed less than the vehicle’s true speed, or a speed greater than the vehicle’s true speed by an amount of more than
10 per cent plus 4km/h.
What does this mean in real driving terms? Well, another way to look at it is, at a true speed of
90km/h, the speedo must read no less than 90km/h and no more than
103km/h.
This then disqualifies any excuse given to a police officer pulling you over that goes along the lines of “my speedo said I was under”. If the officer says you were doing
105km/h, in all likelihood your speedo would have indicated that you were travelling significantly faster.
During the Christmas/New Year period, a tolerance of 4km/h is typically enforced on New Zealand roads to help counter the increased volume of traffic and
SPEEDOMETERS IN MOST VEHICLES ARE DESIGNED TO OVER-ESTIMATE THE SPEED OF TRAVEL. INTERNATIONAL LAW HAS LONG REQUIRED MODERN CARS TO OVERSTATE TRUE SPEED.
prevent the risk of accidents. More and more, you hear from people who respond negatively to the tolerance, saying that it’s not speed that causes accidents, and that the fault is with people behind the wheel.
The tolerance is not changing the speed limit and it’s not reducing it. It just means that if you choose to exceed the limit, you’re more likely to be pulled over so only those who don’t adhere to it in the first place are going to be at greater risk of a penalty. That 4km/h allowance allows a small margin for speed creep and travelling downhill, or those running different wheel and tyre combinations which can, in some instances, have a small effect on the odometer reading, but it’s the responsibility of the vehicle’s owner to maintain. Tyre pressure can also have an effect on speedometer reading; underinflated tyres can result in the speedometer over-estimating the true speed.
The standards for car manufacturers, and the effect of wheels and tyres or tyre pressures all mean that each car’s speedometer reading will be different, so although you may think another vehicle is travelling slower than the speed limit, that may not actually be the case.
A total of 379 people died on our roads in 2018 and 34 of those deaths were in December. Of course, driver error and poor handling of vehicles is a contributing factor to the road toll and we all have a responsibility to drive safely this summer, but the faster you’re travelling the less time you have to react in response to hazards and avoiding dangerous situations. And as tourism numbers boom, leading to more motorists unfamiliar with our roads, it means there’s even greater reason to adhere to what your speedometer is telling you.