Car manufacturers and safety experts are discussing the best technology for braking speed on European roads.
The EU proposes a kit that renders the accelerator pedal temporarily numb when the speed limit is reached.
The driver must push hard on the pedal to deactivate the system and deliberately break the limit.
Car manufacturers suggest the cheapest option of a warning light on the dashboard.
The issue will be discussed at a meeting of EU technical experts on Thursday. Whichever system you choose, it could be applied in the UK, despite Brexit.
What's at stake?
Each party claims that the proposed system will bother drivers less.
Security experts say their tests show that drivers are irritated by the beep, so they will turn off the system when they get into the car.
They say the smart throttle doesn't bother drivers that much.
Dudley Curtis of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) told BBC News: "We are concerned that the end result of this debate may be a weakened version of the system that has much less rescue potential."
The automobile manufacturers association ACEA claims to also support innovation in safety.
A spokesperson told BBC News he wants a "cascade" system, with a warning light, followed by a beep or foot pedal response.
He said: "The system must be accepted by drivers as much as possible. To this end, ACEA supports the more flexible approach to driver feedback, with a cascade alarm system: first visual, then audible or tactile (tactile) ".
"Huge savings"
ETSC says this three-part system will be too slow to warn drivers. He says the beep tests only annoyed the drivers, especially if they have a passenger on board.
The stakes are high. Huge benefits are expected for planned safety changes - not just a reduction in accidents, but also a reduction in emissions from eliminating stop-start driving and quieter cities for pedestrians and cyclists.
Security experts say the innovations would also represent huge savings for local councils who wouldn't need to install bumps.
The security scheme aims to include a number of measures, including:
- Autonomous emergency braking informed by on-board cameras
- Pedestrian and cycle recognition
- Warnings of sleepiness
- Lane departure warnings
The plan would also include lower cabs for trucks and blind spot warnings for truck drivers.
The standards need to be resolved by April 2021, for automakers to install the technology on all new models from 2022. So Thursday is a key time.
"Massive improvement"
Oliver Carsten of the University of Leeds tried the so-called 'Intelligent Speed Assistant' accelerator pedal. He told us: "It has given us a huge improvement in meeting speed with UK drivers, especially on urban roads.
"We fear that replacing it with an acoustic signal system will only annoy the drivers, so they will deactivate it as soon as they enter the vehicle."
European Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said: "Every year, 25,000 people lose their lives on our roads. The vast majority of these accidents are caused by human error.
"With the new advanced safety features becoming mandatory, we can have the same type of impact as when seat belts were first introduced."
The new system was agreed in principle when the UK was still in the EU, but the UK government will not commit to adopting the new standards until it can see the shape of its future trade agreements.
The measures are not being taken in the United States, although ETSC says American auto makers said the technology could be easily fitted.
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