Canada is testing a system that combines onboard GPS with a digital speed limit map to force cars to travel at the limit, the Toronto Globe and Mail reports. Using GPS, the system monitors which road you're on, as well as the direction you're traveling. The system acquires information about the posted speed limit on each road as you drive, updating continuously. When a driver hits a certain percentage above the posted speed limit, the device kicks in and makes it difficult to press the accelerator. Ten vehicles equipped with this technology are currently being tested in the Ottowa area; if the trial is successful a wider series of tests is planned. The researcher in charge of the project admits that drivers may balk at the scenario of a machine forcing them to apply the brakes. While this pilot trial is believed to be the first of its kind in North America, similar devices have been tested in several European countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands and Britain, the Globe and Mail reports.
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