DOT
Here I am! ( or My Car is a Snitch)
In the utopian view of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there will be no car accidents. There will be no injuries. Death by Motor Vehicle will be an unpleasant memory in the annals of the Unregulated Times. We will all be shuttled about in expertly engineered and regulated boxes, each with 8 airbags per passenger, fully restrained in the latest and greatest in “Passive Restraint Systems,” comforted by the knowledge that the vehicle its watching for any possible scenario that may cause harm. And secure in the belief that in the unlikely event anything should happen, our beneficent benefactors will know exactly where to send help, because our cars will tell them exactly where we are. No need to concern ourselves with anything bit the ride. The car knows what to do.
Think this is far fetched? It may be closer than you think. Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication systems have been in the works for some time. There are already cars on the market with the ability to park themselves, see behind them and apply the brakes if you get too close to the car in front of you. They also monitor more systems than the Lunar Modules, and control consoles with everything from GPS to Bluetooth to entertainment are becoming the norm. Cars are now equipped with “Black Box” technology as well.
So, what’s the problem? Well, it seems our friends at the NHTSA are poised to require all new cars and trucks to be equipped with all the gadgetry that will broadcast speed, location, and perhaps number of passengers. The technology will also relay whether a car’s systems are all functioning, or if it’s been “hacked.” That’s right, Large Sibling even wants your car to snitch on you.
Of course, the current administration denies it wants more spy power: “NHTSA has no plans to modify the current V2V system design in a way that would enable the government or private entities to track individual motor vehicles,” a NHTSA spokesman said to CNSNews. But note the word “current.” Nothing said about the future systems that will be developed. And according to the Government Accounting Office, the DoT does want any new tech to be able to detect “Bad Actors.” And who are these miscreants?
Cars with malfunctioning parts, or have been hacked. In other words those who may choose to modify the car so it behaves as the driver wishes, not the government. Replace the factory exhaust with a less restrictive one? Install a Stage II chip to override factory settings? No, no, no, my friend!
Oh, and Data from EDRs has already been accessed and used by law enforcement authorities in court to contradict testimony.
So what? Don’t we want to be safer? Don’t we want The Children to be protected? If you want an honest answer, no. Not at the excessive reach of an overbearing tyranny anyway. You see, most accidents are caused by driver inattention, distraction and general incompetence, not a lack of tech. This is an excuse to control not only cars, but the people as well. Not to mention the corporations who will root on these new regulations, rather than let the market decide whether their toys are wanted. All in all, if you want safer cars, educate yourselves as drivers. Stop looking to gadgets or government to save you.
ahr
Rant and Rev 