Whenever there are reports of a new EU mandate that manufacturers have to abide by, it’s hardly ever anything that would be thought of by people who actually love cars and driving. From downsizing engine capacity and strapping turbos onto asthmatic engines, to forcing everyone to potter about in a dreary blender with a numberplate stuck to it. They’ve taken a short break from the nemesis that is emissions. This time they have a new villain to battle: Excessive speeding.

Yes the European Union have adopted a new mandate this week that ensures all new vehicles will have Intelligent Speed Assistance. So what is this new system? This technology uses various methods to detect the speed limit of the road that you are driving on, and if it senses that you are over the limit, the car’s speed will be reduced. The technology will mainly rely on the vehicle’s outward facing cameras to detect speed zone signs and adjust the speed accordingly. It doesn’t end there. Because we already know how inconsistent cameras can be with speed zone warnings, ISA will also use geographical machine learning methods to detect the speed limit just in case the cameras aren’t rolling.

For the average motorist this means that when the electronic nanny catches you speeding, the vehicle will warn you to slow down in, either, a passive or direct manner. Passive being the car will prompt you to slow down with a pop up alert and a gentle steering nudge. The direct approach will involve the vehicle’s programming to physically prevent the driver from going faster. This could mean the throttle will be disengaged when the speed has been exceeded.

So what gives? Why are they pushing for a Big Brother motoring future? According to the European Commission, excessive speeding has accounted for around 30% of fatal accidents. They are hoping that the electric nanny will mitigate the figure. The new regulation will be in effect from July 2024.

Looking at this mandate, depending on if it’s implemented effectively, it might render high performance cars as absolutely useless. I don’t condone speeding and I think if you are doing 250 km/h on the public road, you are an imbecile and should have your license revoked. However, this mandate might remove even more excitement from modern cars. I don’t even want to imagine what the used market will look like when it takes effect. It might be time to get yourself an old hot hatchback or an old sports car. At least they’re still exciting to drive slow.