Patent ID: 7178819

Claim:
A speed controller for a motor vehicle, comprising: a controller having a standard mode in which a speed of the vehicle is regulated to a desired speed set by a driver of the vehicle, and having at least one exception mode in which the speed of the vehicle is regulated to a setpoint speed that differs from the desired speed; a display device configured to display the desired speed; and an auxiliary display which indicates that an exception mode is active; wherein the exception mode is a stop and go mode in which the vehicle is automatically decelerated to a standstill if a distance sensor detects a stationary obstacle in the vehicle's own traffic lane; wherein the speed of the vehicle in the stop and go mode is limited upward by a specified limiting speed; wherein the auxiliary display is formed by an indicator light that is located in a speedometer of the vehicle at a point on a speed scale of the speedometer that corresponds to the limiting speed.