RedRanger; I think most here have got onto the new generation boxes that record your vehicle at all times and can be used for the GPS option to have a service unlock your truck when you supply a pin number etc. or tell you how to find your way if you get lost etc. These do constitute Big Brother and can be used against you in court or as a defence as well now .

The law enforcement agencies are now touting for a device built in that would allow them to shut your vehicle down electronically instead of chasing you if you ran . This one would not bother me but there will never be a full data response system in any of mine nor will there ever be a microchip in my forehead .

 

Jerry Gougeon, I own two new vehicles, one is a GM with Onstar. Onstar has the capability to track and unlock doors etc, has nothing to do with the 'black box' installed by the car manufacturer. That 'box' only records a five second loop, period.

Auto Techs can hook up a 'box' with customers consent, to record vehicle's sensors while driving, say for a week, to help diagnose intermittent problems.

So relax, don't worry, the Government is not out to get you.

Drive responsibly and obey the laws and you'll have nothing to worry about.

 

And I'm sure, as a 16 going on 17 year old, you are an expert driver that never speeds or breaks any Motor Laws.....NOT!

Your parents can purchase a 'box' be installed on your truck to monitor your driving 24/7.

Judging by your flippant additude, it would be a good idea for your safety,and more importantly, the safety of other innocent drivers!

 

The article says Onstar can also be used to eavesdrop inside the car, it has a 2-way communication system. Which can be great in an emergency, but can also be abused. You're giving strangers access to your private conversations any time you're in your Onstar-equipped vehicle.

I drive responsibly and obey the laws, but I can't say I've never gone a few miles over the speed limit or drifted through a stop sign. I love computers and technology, but I do not want to be in a society where your every action is monitored and judged by machines.

 

This is worse than terrorism. Any time they want to sacrifice your rights on the altar of "Safety" be afraid. Be very afraid.Big Brother IS watching. The fact that it isn't YET capable of recording more data is to lull us into a sense of security with it. Then they can record everything when we are ok with it. Who's to say that you couldn't be jammed up because you have a "history" of disregarding the speed limit and going 70 in a 55MPH zone. Then one day you hit some bozo who pulls out in front of you while going 30 in a 25, and then they bring into question your "history" of disregard for traffic laws? Or, howabout this? You get pulled over for speeding and the Cop pulls out a laptop with an RS-232 cable with an OBDii adapter, and plugs it into your car, and writes you 10 more citations for various times you traveled over the limit, or without your seatbelt, or whatever. Just another way for revenue and power hungry juristictions to stick it to average folks. Makes you wonder...

 

Redranger03: I drive a restored '78 F150 4X4 that I purchased new and will probably keep driving till I'm gone or no longer driving. Our highway vehicle is a 1984 Chrysler Fifth Ave LE with 68,000 on it that was the wifes before she lost the ability to drive due to the effects of MS .

Neither has any electronic gear or polution control but ignition moduals and a cat convertor on the Chryco. and one gets 17 MPG and the other runs around 28 if driven at 60 to 65 mph.

The Gov. and the auto makers can build in a blender and a hot coffee dispenser if on every vehicle produced if they wish and I doubt it will ever effect us as vehicles for me are transportation and we already have the dependability and practicality we require for this purpose .

As far as the "O" zone damage I am frowned on for doing with these big vehicles , every time I see a 767 jet liner taking off and creating more pollution flying half way across America than I will create in a whole life time,I take stock of the fact that I am contributing little when compared .

The millions upon millions of people who commute to work in major cities alone in their cars instead of using the transit systems also reinforce my resolve to my life style .

 

I agree. But dont throw it on the court house steps, burn the damn thing.

 

I read somewhere a while back that it was part of the OBD3 spec. It's a two edge sword. It would be great for the cops to stop the insane high speed chases they are forced into but... Someone is sure to clone the shutdown transmitter. I don't want my daughter heading back to school late a night by herself getting disabled by who knows who for who knows what. Ya know...

 

Xlt4me: Plus the history that all these electronic doo das have for failing a couple of weeks after the warranty expires, I'll pass as well .

With my luck I'd be 60 mi. in some forest road hunting when it decided to croak.

I'm sold on still coming home with a spare set of belts a spare ignition module and a tire puncture repair kit that includes a hose to thread into a spark plug hole to fill her up . A roll of duct tape and bailing wire would top off the safety supplies here I guess .