Ford has launched a car that actually prevents drivers from speeding. The new Ford Intelligent Speed Limiter certainly takes the notion of the backseat driver to an entirely new level! It seems that not everyone is going to be ecstatic about this one, especially the gearheads of the world. The system will only be offered in Europe and in the Ford S-Max model, for the time being, so take comfort in that if you are on the other side of the pond.
How it works: The Ford S-Max is packing a sinister technology called Intelligent Speed Limiter. The system reads the speed limit signs along the roads and electronically limits the vehicle to adhere to them, slowing down accordingly. It reads the speed limit postings via a camera mounted on the dash, which I suppose could be removed in the event one needs to pull a 007 maneuver to escape impending danger. In reality, overriding the system only requires a nice delivery of pressure to the gas pedal–signaling to the engine to ignore the pesky advice. Also, the driver must manually turn on the system, which is comforting. The electronic components of the Ford Intelligent Speed Limiter simply adjust the amount of fuel the vehicle receives in efforts to lower the speed.