UK Police Want An Automotive Tractor Beam

Barryke writes "According to The Observer, England is working on a remote control for cars to be used by the police. England's police force is lobbying to get a remote-control to stop other cars; this could also be used to limit speeds. Since needed technology is already available in modern cars, modification is very easy and cheap. But what if I just escape by hitting the clutch and use my speed to go downhill? Bet I'm in the hospital before they are!" Orwellian, or ... Californian?

Comments

Re:And thus...

[ckaminski]

I do play in the real world, and excepting your "father-in-law" gushing blood in your backseat, none of them require speeding. You are the epitome of bad driver. If you're not prepared to handle idiots merging, well like idiots, or kids careening at you at high speed, I think you need to surrender your license.

I've been in many and caused a few accidents, friend. Not a single one of them was unavoidable by intelligent defensive driving.

The best cure for a tailgater is tapping your brakes. You barely engage them, and you scare the piss out of the idiot on your tail.

Re:And thus...

[plierhead]

Both your post and your "new friend's" post make it fairly obvious you are still youngsters who suffer from the delusion that you are epxerts and everyone else on the roads is a dick. You probably have Metallica blaring from your speakers most of the time, lank greasy hair and a dog with a studded collar barking in the back.

Strangely, this really will pass once you reach more mature years. Perhaps mid-30s, thats when it came for me. Up until then I too was convinced that accelerating my way out of situations was a vital - and frequently used - defensive driving strategy. Strangely enough, after having kids and suddenly having to really think about safety for others in my car, not just me, I adopted a whole new (and much slower) way of driving. Since then, I have never - not once - had to speed up to get out of a dangerous situation. Ad mittedly I don't spend much time driving through neighbourhoods of rampaging out-of-control rednecks as you seem to (WHY ??).

I accept that speeding up to exit a bad situation is a valid option that I might use again one day. But personally, I'd be prepared to let the cops have their tractor beam to stop the shithead who is screaming at 100mph through the street where I live and where kids play, if the downside was that theoretically they might turn it on me one day (I agree with you though that I don't want any AI in my car making that decision).

Re:I vote Orwellian!

[roman_mir]

I hate police. Don't ever cross my way. Police deserve to be murdered for the pieces of shit they are.

That will be all.