Good luck with that.

Considering how much our rights have already been eroded in order to keep us “safe” in the war on terror, I’d expect that our cars will not only have tracking devices in the future, but video cameras, remote control capability, anti-terrorist ejection seats, etc.

Want to know how safe a driver is? How many accidents has he or she caused and how severe were they.

Cars have always been a strange 4th amendment issue since the state regulates and licenses vehicles, their operation and the drivers. This gives them broad powers of discovery and leads to invasions of privacy. The standard for just cause is laughably low, so vehicle checkpoints, roadside searches, and presumtions of guilt when pulled over for perceived infractions put the driver t a disadvantage. The standard argument runs that we have to take a breath or consume food but driving is a pleasurable option for our lives. Privilege versus a right. Maybe we need a new amendment that grants us the right to move freely upon the roadways as if we were walking in our homes.

We do not “all agree.”

In fact I strongly, categorically and fundamentally disagree.

This is an unwarranted invasion of privacy and absolutely against the 4th Amendment. Sadly, the 4th Amendment is worth the paper it’s written on these days…

Actually, the 4th Amendment, like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, is written on hemp. And drug paranoia has done more to slash the 4th Amendment than warrantless wiretapping

See the many TTAC articles on life on the UK roads for more information.

Many cars have a black box installed so airbags could be improved and developed. When you see the officer attaching a device to your dashboard while his partner asks you for a statement of what happened please try not to make any mistakes that will be used against you in a court of law.

The solution in the short term is to buy an older car and avoid the nanny monitoring as long as possible.

I could see this having a function in punishing street racers or others that have been involved in deadly at-fault crashes. Like those breathalyzer equipped cars for convicted DUIs, you could install something like this on a convicted dangerous driver’s vehicle in exchange for a reduced sentence.

The Brits will get this rammed down their throats for sure, anti-social behaviour is a favorite charge over there.

I also don’t see how it can do a good job of measuring bad behavior. I’ve seen good aggressive driving and down right stupid dangerous aggressive driving. The funny thing is some of the down right stupid driving occurs at low speeds. How is this device going to detect that?

As our freedoms and civil liberties erode in the name of protecting America, I have to ask: Once you strip away our rights to protect the “American way”, is there any American way left to protect?

Have your teen take a physics class, watch videos of crashes, and possible take a emergency handling driving course.

The red light would be an accelerant…

Fugheddaboudit!

Looks like Echelon has its roots going back to the 50’s, and started in the 60’s to combat Russia and Communism during the beginning of the cold war; this was not began under Clinton.

Facts are fun.

That said, we don’t need anything like this in our cars. I can see all sorts of potential abuses by the insurance industry right off the bat.

Look up Echelon spy program on google some time – and yeah, this dates from Clinton’s time – prior to 9/11. And if any of you think this program is no longer used – dream on, little dreamer! They just changed the name and broadened it.

Slowly, slowly technology is broadening and our civil rights are evaporating all in the name of security.

I’m no tin-hat brigade person, I can assure you. I just look around what’s going on with eyes wide open and mind engaged. It’s called discernment.