Speed limits exist for a reason, but the EU is taking it a step further with signs and ticket enforcement, attempting to force cars to obey the limit regardless of driver commands. according to daily MailThe European Commission is proposing that new cars in the EU should be limited to electronically posted speed limits based on GPS location, map data and cameras.
This type of speed restriction would be relatively easy to implement. Many modern cars already have the technology to adjust car speed based on posted signals – it would just require a little programming. In fact, cars sold in the EU from 2024 already have a weaker version of it, “Intelligent Speed Assistance” (ISA). It is not a speed limiter, but it alerts the driver if it senses they are going over the speed limit. It’s easy to ignore or override Required by EU law. But a strict limit, rather than nagware, was the original plan, and has been in the works ever since. From Daily Mail:
‘It was always going to be an interim phase,’ said a well-placed source. ‘Let’s tell the driver, let’s warn him, let’s beep (when speed limit is exceeded). But eventually we will limit the speed of the car so that you cannot exceed the speed limit.
According to The Mail, the European Commission proposal would make speed-limiting devices mandatory from 2030. Instead of an obstacle, the ISA would become a hard border. Whatever the speed limit of your car is, that will be the maximum speed allowed. There will be a temporary override function, but it’s unclear how easy it will be to activate or how long the override will last.
Real world implications
If every car on the road stuck to the speed limit, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But we know that is not the case. In a world where people routinely drive 10 or 20 mph over the limit, especially where the limits are very low, a car electronically limited to the posted limit (especially around other cars that were not limited) would be a driving road. Impatient drivers can take risks, ranging from tailgating to passing unsafely over the double yellow line – all to avoid the slowdown that can’t be helped by “just” going the speed limit.
Another problem is the accuracy of speed limit data. A recent study by Thatcham Research Shows that ISA systems are only 74.3% accurate, which is based on the incidence of speed limit changes rather than accuracy over time as in EU tests. This means that once in four the speed limit changes, the ISA considers it incorrect.
I’ve certainly seen extremely inaccurate speeds displayed on Google Maps and various navigation systems. Google believes the limit on the narrow, winding dirt road I live on is 65 mph, which only an experienced rally driver can achieve without crashing. I’ve also seen it said that a certain stretch of a 55 mph state highway has a 25 mph limit. It’s funny when it doesn’t affect anything, but it can be extremely dangerous if a car is accidentally slowed to 25 in a 55, both for the slower car as well as for anyone flying behind it.
Of course, that could never happen in America, because “Moh Freedomz,” right? think again. Virginia and Washington both allow speed breakers as a condition of allowing habitual speeders to keep their licenses, and Illinois and Arizona are also considering similar measures. California tried to require speed breakers for everyone in 2024, but Governor Newsom vetoed the bill. Starting in 2027, vehicles must have ISA technology (the current warning system, not the proposed speed limiter) to qualify as an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Given that Europe already requires it, it would be fairly easy for manufacturers to roll it out for US models as well.
