A fleet of specially adapted green Skodas could offer the key to taming drivers' predilection for speeding. The cars, showcased at Leeds University recently, have a controversial satellite-linked system that can tell the speed limits on any stretch of road. If the driver goes too fast, a computer in the boot makes the accelerator pedal vibrate vigorously, resisting any further pressure.
Britain's transport minister David Jamieson has launched a two-year trial to see how the system affects the behaviour of 80 volunteers.
More than £2 million of public money has been earmarked for the project, despite some motoring organisations' claims that drivers run the risk of going on to "autopilot". The trial backers say the system has the potential to cut road deaths by as much as two-thirds.
Oliver Carsten, of Leeds University's Institute for Transport Studies, which is running the trial, said: "What people are thinking about in the long-term is throwing away speed signs entirely, with speed limits coming down through a radio signal."
The 20 Fabias have digital displays on their dashboards showing the speed limit. A red button on the steering wheel allows drivers to override the system - for overtaking or for emergencies. Civil libertarians have des-cribed the project as a nanny state idea that uses big brother technology.
(Guardian service)