Government wants to drive YOUR car...

Well, OK they don't want to steer or, or break it (for now), the government
only wants to control the gas pedal. It's all for your own good... really...
they're from the government and want to help. The miracle idea is to outfit
cars with a satellite device which will determine the speed you are
permitted to travel at, if you try to go faster than the limit, it'll
prevent you by overriding the pedal. Coming soon, automatic breaking for
stop signs and traffic lights.

The government happens to be the UK, however don't feel safe, stupid ideas
have a way of traveling fast. Think how much gas we could conserve with a
nationwide speed limit of 25MPH! Don't worry about loss of revenue from
speeding tickets, they can just charge to prevent you from speeding!

Story is over at: http://tinyurl.com/ccr4l short excerpt below:

IT IS the ultimate back seat driver. Motorists face having their cars fitted
with a "spy" device that stops speeding.

The satellite-based system will monitor the speed limit and apply the brakes
or cut out the accelerator if the driver tries to exceed it. A
government-funded trial has concluded that the scheme promotes safer
driving.

BE wrote:

> The satellite-based system will monitor the speed limit and apply the brakes
> or cut out the accelerator if the driver tries to exceed it. A
> government-funded trial has concluded that the scheme promotes safer
> driving.

Sounds like a great way to increase the number of accidents.
Seriously, if you're passing someone what happens when your accelerator
cuts off so you can't get past, and there's a car coming head on?

They then say there's an override, but how does that work? Can't you
just override the box all the time then?

That or how long till someone hacks it and starts remote disabling
engines of people he's ****ed at? It doesn't seem like RF control of a
car is a good idea at all. Just another thing to encourage people to
be asleep at the wheel.

Dave

On 3 Jul 2005 11:01:12 -0700, "Dave" > wrote:

>That or how long till someone hacks it and starts remote disabling
>engines of people he's ****ed at?
>
>Dave

How about the criminals stopping engines of people they want for victims?

Dave Head

On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 17:18:17 GMT, "BE" > wrote:

>Well, OK they don't want to steer or, or break it (for now), the government
>only wants to control the gas pedal. It's all for your own good... really...

For some people it is.

Like Granny Whiteknuckles who merges onto a 75 MPH freeway at 45 MPH;
people like this need a virtual foot to come down from the satellite
and mash the goddamn gas pedal.

"BE" > wrote in message
k.net...
> Well, OK they don't want to steer or, or break it (for now), the
government
> only wants to control the gas pedal. It's all for your own good...
really...
> they're from the government and want to help. The miracle idea is to
outfit
> cars with a satellite device which will determine the speed you are
> permitted to travel at, if you try to go faster than the limit, it'll
> prevent you by overriding the pedal. Coming soon, automatic breaking for
> stop signs and traffic lights.
>
I don't see a problem with this. Speed governors already exist for big rig
trucks and city buses. Cruise control is also a de-facto speed governor
equipped in many cars as well, if used correctly.

This idea is just a high-tech speed governor, and really it's nothing more.

Plus sufficient numbers of people have already shown they can't regulate
themselves to drive at legal speeds... so why not use the technology to
remind people to regulate themselves?

After all, the technology won't need to intervene if the driver never
exceeds the legal speed.

[snip...]

Daniel W. Rouse Jr. wrote:
> "BE" > wrote in message
> k.net...
>
>>Well, OK they don't want to steer or, or break it (for now), the
>
> government
>
>>only wants to control the gas pedal. It's all for your own good...
>
> really...
>
>>they're from the government and want to help. The miracle idea is to
>
> outfit
>
>>cars with a satellite device which will determine the speed you are
>>permitted to travel at, if you try to go faster than the limit, it'll
>>prevent you by overriding the pedal. Coming soon, automatic breaking for
>>stop signs and traffic lights.
>>
>
> I don't see a problem with this. Speed governors already exist for big rig
> trucks and city buses. Cruise control is also a de-facto speed governor
> equipped in many cars as well, if used correctly.
>
> This idea is just a high-tech speed governor, and really it's nothing more.
>
> Plus sufficient numbers of people have already shown they can't regulate
> themselves to drive at legal speeds... so why not use the technology to
> remind people to regulate themselves?
>
> After all, the technology won't need to intervene if the driver never
> exceeds the legal speed.
>
> [snip...]
>

a) often obeying the speed limit is more dangerous than speeding

b) there's lots of instances where briefly exceeding the speed limit is
necessary, e.g. to avoid another driver drifting into your lane, when
passing someone who decides to speed up, etc. etc. etc. I personally
think I am a better judge of what an appropriate speed is than whatever
bureaucrat picked a number out of a hat to paint on a sign.

c) the government can just stay the **** out of my car anyway and stick
to what it does best, namely ****ing off the rest of the world while
spending my hard earned tax dollars on servicing the national debt (but
not making any attempt to pay it down.)

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

BE wrote:

> The satellite-based system will monitor the speed limit and apply the brakes
> or cut out the accelerator if the driver tries to exceed it. A
> government-funded trial has concluded that the scheme promotes safer
> driving.
>

Of course it does. Right. If you believe that I have several fine
bridges for sale.

nate


--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

On Sun, 3 Jul 2005 14:27:21 -0700, Daniel W. Rouse Jr. , said the
following in rec.autos.driving...

> "BE" > wrote in message
> k.net...
> > Well, OK they don't want to steer or, or break it (for now), the
> government
> > only wants to control the gas pedal. It's all for your own good...
> really...
> > they're from the government and want to help. The miracle idea is to
> outfit
> > cars with a satellite device which will determine the speed you are
> > permitted to travel at, if you try to go faster than the limit, it'll
> > prevent you by overriding the pedal. Coming soon, automatic breaking for
> > stop signs and traffic lights.
> >
> I don't see a problem with this. Speed governors already exist for big rig
> trucks and city buses. Cruise control is also a de-facto speed governor
> equipped in many cars as well, if used correctly.
>
> This idea is just a high-tech speed governor, and really it's nothing more.

Just one big difference: speed governors and cruise control are currently
items that are *voluntairly* placed in a vehicle and used by its owners.
There is no external control over a speed governor or a cruise control.
What the OP's article was referring to would be a govenment mandated and
externally controlled device placed in people's vehicles over which they
would have no control.

--
Paul

Self-appointed unofficial overseer of kooks
and trolls in rec.autos.driving.

On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 17:18:17 GMT, BE , said the following in
rec.autos.driving...


<snip>

> IT IS the ultimate back seat driver. Motorists face having their cars fitted
> with a "spy" device that stops speeding.

And the codes to slow and stop vehicles will be the *must have* accessory
for the technologically savvy car-jacker.

--
Paul

Self-appointed unofficial overseer of kooks
and trolls in rec.autos.driving.

In article >, Scott en Aztlán wrote:

> Like Granny Whiteknuckles who merges onto a 75 MPH freeway at 45 MPH;
> people like this need a virtual foot to come down from the satellite
> and mash the goddamn gas pedal.

Here it's 80mph and they merge at 35mph.

Sloth is getting real bad around here.... It's now becoming fairly common
for me to pass sloth drivers and sloth induced back ups on my bicycle. And
yes, I will use the left lane, because once I'm passing there is no
restriction on which lane I use with a bicycle.

However, if there is ever such government control over speed when
driving, I'll start driving around a 15mph, maybe slower. The only way to
fight something like that would be cause incredible gridlock until the
economic damage forces it to be removed.