Prediction: dramatic rise in sales of black spray paint

Because that's what people will be buying to disable these cameras if this policy is actually put in place:

"Under the proposals new cars would be fitted with cameras that could read road speed limit signs and automatically apply the brakes when this is exceeded. Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, is said to be opposed to the plans, which could also mean existing cars are sent to garages to be fitted with the speed limiters, preventing them from going over 70mph. The new measures have been announced by the European Commission's Mobility and Transport Department as a measure to reduce the 30,000 people who die on the roads in Europe every year.

 While lower speed limits really do tend to lead to lower death rates -- at least in this country -- that is nowhere near the only determining factor in highway deaths. While  the rate of highway deaths per mile travelled started a downward trend when President Reagan imposed a national 55 mile-per-hour speed limit, the death rate did not go up when the national limit was rescinded and, in fact, the rate now is less than half what it was several years after the lower nation speed limit was imposed. Why? Probably safety improvements in vehicle construction. Maybe people drive better. My money would be on safer cars, but the point is, forcing people to drive slower isn't the best way to lower highway deaths.

Something like the EU wants to do, with cameras to force people to drive slower, will only make people disable the cameras. Impinging on peoples' freedom of choice just because you can is not the answer. People will simply rebel, even if that only means spraying a little black paint on a camera lens. Damn sure I would. Yet another really good reason not to live in Europe, even though Barry works night and day to make me rethink that decision.