Brave new motoring?

[rjastra2]

Wait until we are all assigned barcodes.

Medicare card no, TFN number. Whats the diff?

[sailaholic]

Honda did a concept car a while ago based purely on input from "young" (i think pre driving age up to early driving age) people. One of the things that shocked people was there was still a steering wheel instead of a joystick or self controlled. Honda said that while a joystick did simplfy things by potentaily removing the left and right hand drive aspect, the input group were overwheelingly in favour of a wheel & pedals. Apparently there was a very stong this is what a car should do and how to control it opinion.

However, should a "reproting black box" become mandory, i will be more then happy to give up driving and leave it to a computer. I did 3 months under full black box observation. I think 30 - 40% of people would loose their license in the first 12 months. Anyone that thinks these solutions are rudementary are kidding themselves.

THe units plug in via the vechicle OBD port and therefore have access to anything the vechcile computers can see. These are then supplimented by the black boxes sensors. Comonly reported things are; Vechcile speed and locations (can be speedo or GPS on most vechciles), Acceleration G, Deceleration G, cornering G (outside of limits will cause a report). Our per seshion (mandtory breaks), Idle time, maximum revs, seat belt (driver), seat belt (passenger), seat belt (back seat). 4wd engagement. It's only a small step to include wheel spin (hooning offence emails straight too you), out of range AFR or excessive oil consumption (enviromental vandal)

The monitoring body will know everything you do, every time you do it, everywhere you do it and they will know your doing it before you do. Such systems will efficely lower the traffic speed to at best 10km/h under the limit, and still everyone will be so busy watching all the things they might get in trouble for, no one will pay any attention to the road conditions. At this point, comptuer driving would actually be a relief.

I would hope that at some point, some sanity would be brought to the table from the community, but i'm not convinced political / media manilpulation along with"legislate for the lowest common denominator" will not win out. The current governement / primary parties are already voicing unahppiness that the current electrion system allowed so many minor parties into the senate. FIrst reaction is to "fix" the problem rather then think about the the dissatisfaction with the current politcal duopoly that is causing all the "micro party"

[rjastra2]

Don't airline pilots already do their jobs under such conditions? Do you think it has been partly responsible for the improvements in airline safety over the last 30 yrs?

[manga_blue]

Airline pilots do operate under those conditions but they also have the technology to support them. sailaholic's point was that you pretty much need a computer to comply.

I've been pinged twice in recent years, both times caught by radar in the bottom of a steep dip when I was in the ute towing the MX5. Under those circumstances it's quite easy to pick up 20-25kmh within 100m.

The last two cars we've bought in the family have speed limiters with active transmission downshifting to provide engine braking. With the number of miles I do each year with loads on it's the only way I can keep a licence. As police monitoring increases in the future the noose will tighten mainly on younger drivers who can't afford latest gen cars with those aids. I reckon switching on the limiter releases about 30% of my concentration from speed monitoring back to doing useful things like not hitting trees and other cars. That drain on concentration would worsen considerably if we went to any form of ubiquitous monitoring.

My rellies in Florida sit on 80-90mph, travelling with the other traffic. The Highway Police have twigged to the fact that, in normal conditions, it's speed differentials that kill, not speed. So if you slowed to the 55 limit you could be pinged for obstructing traffic.

[Rocky]

Governments are not interested in taking people's driver's licenses away. They want you on the road and paying fines.
IF governments wanted to take licenses away from people who were incapable of driving safely they would fail half of those who apply in the first place.
In any case, people who can't get a license just drive unlicensed anyway.

Airline Pilots are not a realistic comparison. They do a very tightly constrained job with very prescriptive behaviour in the cockpit.
They are also about 30 I.Q. points above the average driver with a damn sight more common sense.

[deviant]

I would hope that at some point, some sanity would be brought to the table from the community, but i'm not convinced political / media manilpulation along with"legislate for the lowest common denominator" will not win out. The current governement / primary parties are already voicing unahppiness that the current electrion system allowed so many minor parties into the senate. FIrst reaction is to "fix" the problem rather then think about the the dissatisfaction with the current politcal duopoly that is causing all the "micro party"

That seems to be how we do things in Australia these days. Everything needs to be banned or have a law or rule attached to it so the hysterical masses can feel safe and directed. If something challenges peoples belief system or what they always thought was an accepted way of doing things we just seek to suffocate it in laws and rules.

[OurCognitiveSurplus]

I don't imagine that a politican would ever push for black-boxing of cars like that. Maybe a wonk in the RTA would write a paper about it. But if a State government tried to push for it they'd get totally slammed.

[NitroDann]

It's about control.

The revenue raised by motorists is so low that it's a drop in the ocean.

Dann

[manga_blue]

Yes, it's all about control.

I don't imagine that a politican would ever push for black-boxing of cars like that. Maybe a wonk in the RTA would write a paper about it. But if a State government tried to push for it they'd get totally slammed.

That's true now but black box monitoring systems are being privately implemented everywhere in Oz - right through mining, logistics and services, anyone with a fleet really. If the data flowing from those systems shows downtrends in accident rates then there will be strong advocates in politics and media. Mandatory seatbelts, breathalyzers, radar traps, roadside blitzes were all unthinkable once.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating this stuff, just observing and crystal-balling a bit. Need more racetracks.

[NitroDann]

Need less supreme overlords.

Dann

[OurCognitiveSurplus]

I don't think anything is about control - it's about votes.

The existing 'black box' applications are all private-sector. Trucking, planes, mines, logistics etc. The private/public divide makes all the difference. Applying boxes to truck drivers is pretty easy. Applying them to public road uses is very very hard from a vote perspective. Who is going to vote for the party that wants to give them heaps of fines?

[manga_blue]

At least 70% of the people in the last election first preferenced a party that has already given us heaps of fines.

[rjastra2]

It won't be our politicians who legislate this. It's already well down the road in other countries

http://www.whistleout.com.au/IncomeProt ... ry-US-2015
http://blog.caranddriver.com/four-myths ... ack-boxes/

And the fact is that a vast majority of new cars have it already fitted.

Black box info (usually only a limited period is record) is used after a crash.

Govenments can already track you via motorway tags, mobiole phones, number plate recognition

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/09/e-zpa ... -your-car/

[OurCognitiveSurplus]

The Senate has passed a bill that requires all car manufacturers to equip their vehicles with an Event Data Recorder (EDR) starting in 2015 and it seems like it could soon become law.

That sentence inspires no confidence in me that its author understands how laws are made.

[oztrackdays]

Did anyone watch the last 4 corners the automatic number plate cameras on the po po wagons
Take 6 photos a second non stop including infrared for night time usage. 200 billion geo tagged images
inside of 4 years another few hundred Of these camera systems and they have it all Sussed no changes needed.

The black boxes will be the insurance companies lobbying so they can deny more claims.

Your airbag already records plenty it just has only 15 or so seconds it stores.