With all the furor in the United States about telephonic eavesdropping and real or perceived invasions of privacy, it is interesting to hear some notions about speed limits and high gasoline prices in the Boca Raton (Fla.) News.

The News notes that Canadians in Ottawa are testing out a system that combines onboard Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology with a digital speed map. It works like the dash-mounted GPS navigation systems regularly gaining popularity in the United States. But there’s a catch.

“And the catch is an appropriate word because instead of helping you find where you’re going, this GPS system will prevent you from getting there any faster than the posted speed limit for the route you’ve selected. : That’s right. Big Brother will indeed be watching you; more accurately, the GPS system will be tied to your ability to accelerate. Traffic safety do-gooders are of course are in absolute ecstasy at the possibility of preventing speeding. There is some realistic concern about speeding and the lives (particularly the young ones) lost each year. Consistently, and across the nation, drivers now exceed the speed limit, on average, by 6 to 12 miles per hour each and every time we get behind the wheel.”

Enter the soaring price of fuel.

“Some will argue that our oil addiction should suggest the same solution that worked back in the 1970s : Bring back the 55 mph speed limit. Improvements in auto fuel efficiency followed, together with a reduction in fuel consumption for the first time in American postwar history between 1974 and 1984.”

Energy eventually became cheaper but the reaction was not good: bigger vehicles leading to the glut of gas-guzzling SUVs and vans. And less efficiency and higher prices.

But an “eye in the sky” system to control our speed and fuel efficiency? Vehicle-obsessed Americans might be more angry about that kind of government intrusion than the telephone numbers they fear could be used improperly.