As a Canadian I am a little disappointed that my country is taking the lead in exploring the use of GPS technology to control speeding in a Big Brother kind of way. The idea works like this – since the navigation systems that are showing up in every car these days already track the speed and direction in real time, it might as well be used for another purpose. If a digital map that listed speed limits was included in the system then the car could be regulated so that it couldn’t accelerate easily once it hit the speed limit. It could be a universal system, or it could be used just for high-risk areas like school zones or construction areas.

It’s an idea that will have supporters, but it is also rife with problems. There are legitimate reasons to speed –in an emergency or to avoid an accident for example. Those challenges will have to be confronted. At this point ten cars fitted with the technology are being tested in Ottawa. We’ll have to watch to see what comes next.