Modern cars already contain the hardware needed for future geofenced speed limiter systems. Some automakers already use geofencing to change vehicle behavior in specific locations.
An academic thinks we'll one day look at the freedom to speed like we view smoking in airplanes.
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Here's the good news: you might never have to worry about speeding tickets in the future. The bad news?
That's because your car won't let you speed.
The tech to make it happen could already be hiding behind your dashboard.
Technology Already Here
GPS, onboard cameras, electronic throttle control, and over-the-air software updates are now common features on many new cars.
That means the biggest hurdle to electronically enforced speed limits probably isn't the technology—it's getting drivers to accept it.
That's the future envisioned by Professor Marco te Brömmelstroet, who holds the Chair on Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam.
Speaking during a visit to New Zealand, he suggested geofencing could eventually stop drivers from exceeding speed limits in urban areas altogether.
"My dream is that in 20 years, we will look back and find it unbelievable that we once allowed humans to drive 2,000 kg (4,400 lbs) vehicles as fast as they wanted in our cities," he said, suggesting we'll view it like we now view the banned practice of smoking on airplanes.
"The technology is already here, we can geofence cars so we can help [drivers] not be a danger to other people in the streets."
