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Ford Testing a New 'Traffic Monitoring' Device
Poletown writes "The Detroit Free Press put out this article today about a new vehicle based 'traffic monitoring' system that Ford is testing. It will report your speed, the road temperature, whether or not your wipers/headlights are active, and even if you've used your anti-lock brakes. Initially, the system will be tested on Ford-owned and municipal vehicles."
Hey, why not? GM sells cars that do a pretty good job of spying on the driver, and people buy it for this excellent "feature." And to them, it is a feature. It just takes some good marketing spin.
If every single car being made had something like this, then there would be cause for concern. Otherwise, just don't buy the cars that have this if you don't want it. Simple.
You probably shouldn't click this.
the ECU in a modern car already logs half of those things listed. The data from your ECU can be used against you in court. I can see this becoming a full production line "feature"
See Sig! See Sig Zig! Zig Sig Zig!!!!!
I used to do EPA/OSHA type building inspections.
Once I was asked to do some inspection work on a DOT (department of transportation) site, and they had just finished installing (and monitoring) useage of their DOT vehicles.
I was there when the output was generated. The DOT devices monitored how long the vehicles were in motion, how far they traveled, how fast, how long they stopped and using a GPS, where exactly they were at any given time.
The workmen knew nothing of this installation until that point in time.
The moral? The crews weren't doing what they were supposed ot be doing (running about filling potholes) and instead (as found by the GPS) were down at a local bar and grill, drinking it up.
So they were fired.
Sure, they probably deserved it, but should they have been fired in this manner? This device *sounds* like it could be used for *exactly* that.
Something to think about.
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
See for instance:s iness
http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Gates.Mirick.html#bu
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
cat
Actually, it was Tele Aid, Mercedes's version of the system. And the practice has been suspended, but not for privacy reasons.
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
Blackboxes which provide data about what might have happened already exist for cars. There have been numerous court cases regarding the privacy issues surrounding it's uses, mostly because drivers have no clue they exist in their cars. Apparently Ford and GM have been doing this since the 90s. So Ford is probably just taking their technology a step further.
"A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one."
--Henry Ford
Rental car companies use GPS to clock your speed or location and fine you for speeding or leaving the geographic area covered by your contract. Red light cameras dole out tickets (usually through some government contracting company). EZ-Pass toll systems can help track the movements of drivers. The microprocessors in your car can provide data to help determine fault in auto accidents. I won't even get into OnStar. Sheesh, next thing you know, Anheuser-Busch will be tracking your drinking habits - oh wait. Imaging linking those databases.
With a simple identification code in each Ford car, the freedom of movement in the U.S. could become very expensive. To me, it's almost more frightening that so many of these functions (and this data) is in private hands than if it were the government getting it itself.
There will be (actually already is) a flurry of legal wrangling to determine: (1) how the private companies can use this (i.e., when they can disclose or sell it); and (2) under what circumstances the government can get to it and use it.
We have a similar realtime map in Chicago that comes in very handy. Click any section of the map and it tells you exactly what's going on. The little circled numbers are travel times. You can watch the whole thing turn red in about 2 hours (4:00 CST).
Here in Massachusetts, there was a big deal about contract snow plow operators being ordered to carry GPS-reporting cell phones to let the state authorites know where the plow assets are at any given time, and also for proof that they really are plowing the roads they say they are, and not taking unauthorized breaks.
The plow operators countered that it's not uncommon for a plow to get held up for an hour or two because they are blocked by police, accidents, or other obstructions, and they should be paid for that time.
The state countered by saying it's trivial for them to tell the differnce. If your spend an hour at Dunkin' Donuts, you will not be paid. If you spend an hour trapped on a highway that you belong on, you will be paid.
I can speak with some authority here; as my parents both work in insurance.
Driving history is considered, but mostly in as "Clean record since last at-fault accident".
Speeding tickets, etc, usually aren't passed on to the insurance company, unless they hit your driving record. That is; you're actually pulled over, and are given demerits to your license. Age is also a large factor; the younger you are, the more you pay. In Alberta at least, there's a price drop at 21, as well as 25.
Marital status is taken into account; married people pay less.
Gender is taken into account; girls pay less.
You've never driven the UK, I take it?
(In case it isn't obvious, this is precisely what can happen here with our world-beating network of speed cameras, give or take a few days' processing delay.)
I had seen this site before (maybe when it was first posted to /.) and I've also tried nullifying traffic waves. Guess what, it works! And it's kinda fun in a serious slowdown, to see the people behind you start out really irritated, but eventually realize how nice it is not to be using the brakes every fifteen seconds.
-=20
me doesn't live for do [DEPRECATED]
In Maryland and DC, they issue the ticket to the driver of the car (according to registration), but said driver can fill out a section saying "I was not the driver, person X [license number here] was".
They then issue the ticket to person X.
What happens if person X complains, I don't know, but given that you need their driver's license number to do this, it's probably hard to fake.
Plus the language says you're basically making an affadavit of truth and so you'd be screwed for lying if the other person contests this.
So basically, they ticket the car and assume the owner was driving, and let the owner inform them otherwise by ratting on their friend or spouse. Scummy system.
A.
Supoena!?!? Heck, why bother with all that paperwork?
A Judge told the FEDS to stop listening in to OnStar
Having said that, I don't see why they couldn't implement these systems in public and city-owned vehicles only, like buses and public works vehicles. There's no reason you need every car in the city to have one, just enough so that you can monitor traffic flow.
The bold print giveth, and the fine print taketh away
2) Fine, pretend it was a vandalism claim that exceeds your deductable. You're being held accountable for the illegal actions of another person. Is -that- acceptable to you? If you didn't want it to happen, after all, you didn't need to park on the street.
Gee.. That just happened to me. Parked on the street outside the public library for ten minutes. Come back out to my car, and the hood was crunched where some idiot in a pickup/SUV backed into me. The damage was over my headlights and grille and on the hood. No witnesses and I have a $1000 deductable on collision and comprehensive. I'll end up paying for the whole thing out of pocket.
That being said. I'd rather have that happen to me than have big brother watching allways.
"He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
They do this in the LA area, you get to know what roads are congested miles ahead of time and they even recomend alternate routes if one is available. Of course at times almost EVERYTHING is a parking lot so it doesn't matter. Btw don't live there just visit ocassionally for work.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Good traffic reports CAN help you. Almost every traffic report given by any radio station are useless, the only exception I've ever heard is for those that live in the DC area that listen to WTOP (they have a listen live link and traffic is on the 8's if you want to here an example. They describe the traffic, what the bailouts are like, what is causing the delay and expected recovery time, the status of the cause (police on scene, sunshine delays, loading the smashed car on the truck, moving pothole repair crew blocking left lane, lights short timing, cars moved off to the median, rubbernecking etc...), references to previous days like worse or better or simply volume delays. Their reports are very detailed and not just telling you that interstate whatever is backed up to exit whatever. They have a very detailed picture of what is and was going on in the DC area and they describe it very well to the listeners.
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
A microprocessor and display are installed in a vehicle that has been purchased with a loan. The display indicates if your loan payment is current. As the due date approaches, the display warns you. Should you miss a payment, your vehicle is automatically disabled. When you make a payment, the loan company sends you a code to enter in to the system, giving you another month of vehicle use.
This isn't some test system. It has been used in more than 100,000 vehicles throughout the United States. Right now they are being used in situations where people are a credit risk. Typically the person has the income to afford the vehicle, but has a history of late or missed payments.
If you drive a late model auto, chances your vehicle already includes some kind of rudimentary "black box." Already, these black boxes have been used in court in various car-accident related cases. Here's an article that has a brief summary of what the current incarnations of these devices record. Here's another one that discusses why the current models aren't reliable enough to be the sole source of evidence in a case.
Hey, I like safety technology too... But there definitely has to be a privacy wall built-in, since marrying a GPS device to it (which is already coming... Googling for "automobile black box" brings up two or three companies whose business model is based on adding GPS functionality) would make the data extremely interesting to marketing people, police agencies, and other nefarious types.
Who did what now?
The Article is deceiving in saying that we cannot do this now... The devices in the road do a perfectly fine job of gather info like wheather, traffic conditions and even vehicle classes/weights. If everyone actually knew that they are already being tracked and tickets could be given out with cameras and traffic sensors in the roadway now if it wasn't for the privacy issue, they would be even more upset. Ignorance is bliss until that photo and ticket get mailed.
-Cg
Clever or not, I got nothing...
Oh yea, one other thing:
Atlanta has had this for a while, actually. There's several GADOT websites that show traffic reports in real time overlaid on a map. It uses those cameras that are every mile or so. It's pretty spiffy, actually. Around this time, all of 75N, 85N, I-20 and the northern half of 285 should be Red. (less than 10mph, IIRC)
I have a friend of mine who is a cop in the local town. We were talking about lo-jack about 8 years ago. I asked him how many cars they recovered using it. He told me, durring the entire year they recovered about 5 or so. 90% of the department had the units installed in there cars.
Problem is, it took a great deal of resources to track each case. You generally needed 3+ cars to triangulate it correctly. Not to mention a few hours of work.
Needless to say, most of the time they ignored them. Few weeks later we where BSing at a local store (he was on duty), I looked over and noticed the device was showing the direction and tag of a stolen car. I pointed this out only to get a shrug out of him.
While these devices are great, and I am sure they have helped a lot of people. The problem is law enforcement doesn't generally care, or don't have time to deal with it.
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