AZUZ: And in three years, all new cars in E.U. member countries could be electronically prevented from speeding. The E.U. calls this intelligent speed assistance, and it wants it to be standard, along with other measures like vehicle data recorders.

Speed limiters reduce a car's engine power to keep it from going over the speed limit. The E.U. says this could reduce accident deaths by 20 percent. And if drivers needed to temporarily go over the speed limit to pass somebody, for instance, they could do it by pressing hard on the gas pedal.

The rules still have to be approved by E.U. member countries and there could be some problems ahead. Different nations in Europe have different road signs and digital information isn't always current, so the cars could have trouble detecting what the speed limits are.

Some critics are also concerned about privacy and drivers depending more on the car’s computer systems than actual road conditions. But speed limiting technology is just another example of how cars are becoming more robotic.