Do Cars Need Black Boxes?
It looks like the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's pushing of a requirement that all new vehicles be manufactured with the automotive version of a Flight Data Recorder is working. Both the House and Senate have provisions in their Motor Vehicle Safety Acts that call for a vehicle "black box" that will record and save everything that happens in your vehicle. Of course the stated claim, and probably the truth, is that the data culled from these boxes would provide invaluable info the carmakers can use to make vehicles safer in the event of a collision. That's great, but if every vehicle sports one of these devices, how long do you think it will take for the courts to start subpoening the information for use in criminal cases? They already call in the data when it's available -- remember the recent Prius unintended acceleration fraud? In the end, it's probably not a big deal, but I happen to think that even the smallest intrusion into our privacy is one more step toward living entirely under the eye of Big Brother.
A few years back the idea of such recorders was floated by insurance companies for exactly that reason: show clearly who was at fault in collisions.
I STRONGLY ENDORSED such a program and would have been first in line to have my vehicles equipped to protect me from bad drivers. It doesn’t take a lot of brains to follow the highway laws, but it does take a lot more maturity than I often see out there.
After the collision the police will be authorized to or required to use the information in the box and issue citations for each violation indicated. That is, each time the vehicle exceeded the maximum speed limit in any probable place the car may have been. Add radio beacons at each red light using digital technology or even add the capability to the cell phone system and the location of the car could be placed within a few feet. No full stop at stop signs? That is “failure to stop.” No, almost stopped or rolling through a right-on-red is not “Stopped.” Many more posibilities like data about turn signals when changing lanes, seat belts that got fastened after the vehicle brake was released, how many more? All fines payable by the registered owner. How about down loading this data at the annual inspection and the data link to the state licensing bureau brings back a whole year’s worth of violations? Payable before the vehicle is released with a new inspection sticker. Get stopped for any reason and the cop links your black box to the police cruiser’s electronics right there and you pay up to date. Have a credit card “check card” and a good balance in your bank account? How bad it could be could be worse than anyone can imagine.
It is sad to see so many people like Ron who
are so short sided, they fail to see what is going
on here. As has been said, this is just another step toward Government control of our lives. It
comes in small bites, and before you relize it,
it’s you have lost your fredom. I hope people like
Ron wake up before it is too late.
We need these black boxes for those who lie, and speeding. are if some thing gos wrong and you need proof to prove your point.
Its just ANOTHER way for the Gov to make you THINK they are protecting you, looking out for YOUR best interests, when, in fact, they are spying and taking over your lives – WAKE UP AMERICA!!
Every time a device to insure obedience to the law is discussed, many start hollering. These devices would NOT be needed if a driver who was speeding at the time of an accident would say, “I was going over sixty,” instead of, “I was only going 35.” So, if this would inconvenience you, you are a criminal. When you cry, you let everyone know you are a criminal.
If you don’t do anything thats illegal or dangerous why would anyone worry about a device that would help to make an auto safer. GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE??????
You are not getting it. What they are saying is that if you forget to buckle completely as you put your car into drive they will know. Thats a 65 dollar ticket in my state. And you can’t say that you have never put your seat belt on as you were leaving your driveway. And you can’t say that you stop completely every time you come to a stop sign. I mean I try to make sure I do every time but sometimes you just don’t notice that you did not stop completely.