http://www.9news.com/storyfull.asp?id=14023

 

I'm sure it wont be long before someone figures out how to overide it if they have'nt already.

 

I would NEVER allow it in my vehicle. If it's part of the deal when I'm financing, then I tell them to shove it (I'm not into car loans, anyway).

Think of it. There's already major problems with people making valid and timely car payments which don't get properly credited to their account, resulting in improper and unjust late fees, penalties, default notices and even repossession. You've all heard the stories, I'm sure.

So now they want to put in a box that allows them to disable my vehicle whenever THEY SAY I'm late on a payment? You mean it's possible that I could be current on all my payments and be out driving in the middle of nowhere, miles away from a phone or assistance, and they flick a switch and just like that my car won't start anymore? NOBODY is ever going to have that much control over my vehicle and my ability to drive it.

And I also have a sneaky suspicion that these boxes are capable of monitoring more than just my loan account status. For instance, how are they gonna know where the car is when they have to come get it?

I'm just waiting for the situation where this little black box disables a vehicle and by doing so puts the motorist's life and limb in jeopardy, leading to injuries or worse. Then the lawsuits are gonna fly.


ON EDIT: I just read a little more on this product which is made by a company called "Pass Time Security". It is being marketed to banks and financing companies and one of their slogans is:

"PASSTIME keeps you in control!"

Enough said.

 

There is also

www.signaltrac.com/html/how_it_works.htm
and a nother brand called "safetytrac"
and a different thing called "lowjack"

 

"LOWJACK" makes excellent sense - it's a tracking device used to recover stolen vehicles.

But that dingus you mentioned is a menace to public safety as far as I can see...

I can hardly wait to read the first report of one of those things cutting off a vehicles ignition square on top of a railroad crossing.

(Even though they claim it won't interrupt a car that's travelling}

It appears to hook on to the starter relay, and I bet nobody that knows one end of a screwdriver from the other would be stopped for longer than 5 minutes...

 

Hmmm, give it a few years and I can see them building that into the onboard computer, but only if the manufacturers want to.

I've heard talk for the last few years that insurance companies would like to have the onboard computer keep track of vehicle operation for X amount of time and for that info to be retreiveable after an accident. Info such as speed, steering wheel position, brakes on/off, etc. Sort of like the black box on an airplane. The insurance companies want this in response to people lying about what was going on immediately prior to accidents is my understanding.

 

My friend just bought a car form JB Byrider that has one of those boxes in his car, every month when he makes his car payment they give him a 6didget number that has to be entered by the 28th of each month. When you start your car you have to turn the key to run, wait 3 seconds untile the box beeps and then you can start your car, if you dant wait for that beep it wont start.

 

Here's a simple solution to the problem: keep your credit good. They only put these things in cars for the people that have terrible credit histories. And I assure you, if I walked into an auto dealer with "C" credit and they tried to jack me with the box, I would laugh and walk out the door.
Insurance companies are well on their way to putting tracking systems in our cars. Think about it: their "services" are mandatory, so anything they want to do to you will be mandatory as well. You wont be able to stop it...and it won't make your premiums go down either.
BDV