June 25, 2014 - 15:05 AMT
Hyundai latest car to slow down automatically for speed cameras

Cars have long used GPS and mapping features to help drivers detect speed cameras, but Hyundai’s latest vehicle goes one step further to ensure that they can truly be avoided, the Verge reports.

The Hyundai Genesis combines GPS and braking technology to slow the car down if drivers are speeding when they approach a speed camera. "It knows there is a speed camera there, it knows where the speed camera is and it will adopt the correct speed," Hyundai’s Guido Schenken explained in an interview with Australia’s drive.com.

The speed camera detection system will also alert drivers 800 meters in advance and sound a signal if the car is speeding ahead of a camera. Fixed speed cameras and average speed cameras are detected by the car, but the system will obviously not work with mobile cameras or highway patrol cars.

The automatic braking for speed cameras may prove controversial to some, as safety advocates could argue it simply encourages drivers to speed without the repercussions of a speeding fine. Compared to the complex radar and laser detection systems, or plain old GPS alerts, Hyundai’s integration is clearly more complete.

It’s also a hint at what self-driving cars will be capable of in future, the Verge says.