Coming Soon: A Car That Follows The Speed Limit — Automatically

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Lead foot? No problem: Ford is looking out for you.

The auto manufacturer’s new S-Max will be the first car in the world with “Intelligent Speed Limiter, a new technology that scans traffic signs and adjusts the throttle to help drivers stay within legal speed limits and avoid fines,” a press release states.

“Intelligent Speed Limiter is one of those technologies that people will wonder how they did without –- not just because they avoid speeding fines but because driving becomes that much less stressful,” says Roelant de Waard, vice president of marketing sales and service for Ford of Europe.

The S-Max, which Ford describes as a “sports activity vehicle” that seats seven, is for the European market. But CNN Money reports that its speed-limiting technology will be available worldwide.

Until then, the new S-Max can be ordered now and will be delivered in the summer, Ford says.

Meanwhile, if speeding tickets are running up your car insurance costs, consider getting married.

A study by InsuranceQuotes.com found that car insurance rates can vary on average by more than 50 percent based on age, gender and marital status.

The study found that the average married 20-year-old pays 21 percent less than a single 20-year-old for the same policy. According to InsuranceQuotes:

The difference gets more pronounced when you divide it by gender. A single 20-year-old male will pay 25 percent more for auto insurance than his married counterpart.

And a single 20-year-old woman will pay 28 percent more than her married counterpart.

Differences level off as drivers age, with a single 25-year-old paying just 7 percent more for auto insurance than a married 25-year-old.

Do you think it’s fair for insurance companies to penalize certain types of drivers? Sound off with a comment below or on our Facebook page.

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