The technology is already surprisingly close. Modern vehicles can combine satellite positioning, digital maps and cameras capable of reading road signs, while software can reduce engine power or adjust cruise control when a speed limit changes.

What does not exist, however, is an EU proposal to use satellites to remotely control motorists’ speed.

Reports suggesting Brussels is preparing such a system go considerably further than the measures currently in place.

Since July 2024, all new cars sold in the European Union have been required to include Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA). The system recognises the applicable speed limit and warns the driver when it is exceeded.

Some versions can make speeding more noticeable by applying resistance to the accelerator or reducing power, but importantly, the driver remains in control and can override the system.

The technology is there, but it isn’t perfect

Taking the next step and setting speed limits that are impossible to exceed would present a much bigger challenge.

One problem is accuracy. Speed limits can change depending on the lane, time of day, roadworks, weather, or type of vehicle. GPS can occasionally place a car on a neighbouring road, while cameras can miss a sign or mistakenly read one intended for an exit.

Research by UK automotive testing organisation Thatcham Research found noticeable differences between how accurately current ISA systems recognise speed limits in real-world driving.

Even the best-performing vehicle in its testing correctly identified around 90% of individual changes in speed limits. That may be enough to warn a driver, but physically preventing a car from accelerating based on incorrect information is another matter.

There is also the question of privacy.

A system capable of automatically enforcing or reporting speeding would potentially hold detailed information about where a vehicle had travelled and how it had been driven. That raises questions over who could access the data, how a speeding offence would be verified and how motorists could challenge mistakes.

Could it happen eventually?

There are already examples of more advanced speed-control technology being used under controlled conditions.

London has tested systems on buses that use geographically defined speed limits, while New York City has introduced active Intelligent Speed Assistance in municipal vehicles. Rather than braking the vehicle, the system prevents further acceleration once the set limit is reached, although an emergency override remains available.

For ordinary European motorists, any move from assisting drivers to actually enforcing speed limits would require a substantial political and legal shift.

For now, the technology in new European cars is there to advise rather than police the person behind the wheel.

But as cars become increasingly connected and automated, the question may eventually become less about whether a vehicle can stop its driver from speeding and more about whether governments decide it should.