Sept/Oct 2004

In case you thought road user charging was the UK Government's only plan for controlling the way people drive, it is also investigating a system called Intelligent Speed Adaptation, or ISA. In essence, an on-board device checks a vehicle's position constantly by means of GPS, compares it against a database giving the speed limit for that section of road, and slows the vehicle down if it is going too fast. Drivers can override the system with an accelerator "kick-down" feature.

While some voices have expressed doubt that such an ambitious scheme could be realised in the foreseeable future, the Government is pressing ahead with limited trials on 20 vehicles in Leeds and Leicester, which should be completed next year. But no one has even hinted at any serious implementation programme so far.