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RFID for Automobile Tracking

mindless4210 writes "The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration has called on four of the largest RFID manufacturers to jointly develop dedicated short-range communications technology systems for a trial as part of the agency's efforts to cut road fatalities in the U.S. by 50% within 10 years. The DSRC prototype initiative is a prerequisite for introducing new roadway applications such as issuing alerts to drivers about impending intersection collisions, rollovers, weather-related road hazards, or warning a driver that his vehicle is going too fast to safely negotiate an upcoming curve. The FCC allocated the entire 5.9 GHz band to DSRC applications some time ago, making the development much more feasible. Any DRSC system would require DRSC technology to be built into new vehicles."

19 of 439 comments (clear)

  1. RFID Overlord by Ckwop · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's one of those privacy tradeoffs that actually looks quite good.
    RFID couldn't be used at this stage to track all the cars in the USA
    so the chance of it impinging on your privacy is rather low.
    However, with estimates of a 50% reduction in road deaths.. That's quite a dividend.

    I for one welcome our new RFID overlords :)

    Simon.

  2. Only one problem... by taped2thedesk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I just have to figure out a way to get my car into the microwave...

    1. Re:Only one problem... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's really very simple!

      1. Open microwave door
      2. Drive in car
      3. Close microwave door

    2. Re:Only one problem... by Cruciform · · Score: 2, Funny

      So now you're trapped inside a microwave, since the handle's on the outside.

      If you get desperate there's more nutrition in the steering wheel than the seat covers.

  3. Re:Goodbye privacy by hyperstation · · Score: 3, Funny

    my 84 vw rabbit won't ever have RFID!

  4. In related news... by The+Jonas · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... tin foil hat and used car sales skyrocket.

  5. RFID - looking forward 20 years from now by morelife · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...
    applications such as issuing alerts ...

    (while seated in a board meeting, 28th floor overlooking metropolis, a small internal voice speaks)

    "Sorry for this brief intrusion. This is your government speaking. The RFID tag embedded in your ass notified us moments ago. It appears as if you want to fart. This is just a warning - farting now, may be a bad idea, and could have unexpected consequences, and possible adverse career effects."

    .. another save by Uncle Sam.

    1. Re:RFID - looking forward 20 years from now by jmpresto_78 · · Score: 2, Funny

      ha! Most likely though, mine will be over a loud speaker because I didn't have enough $$ to buy the "internal voice" add-on.

  6. And this just in from Virginia, by The+Ape+With+No+Name · · Score: 3, Funny

    House of Delegates bans detector-detector-detector-detector ... ad-infinitum

    RICHMOND, VA (AP) -- The House of Delegates has sent a bill to Gov. Warner making blocking RFID on cars illegal. They also appropriated $5 million to the State Police to equip trooper's cars with RFID blocker detectors and have set aside a portion of that money to buy RFID blocker detector-detector-detectors and made the posession of RFID blocker detector-detectors illegal. Any further detector-detectors will be made illegal barring a Commonwealth-wide brain explosion trying to understand it all. Virginia State Troopers are renowned as the Grey-Wheeled Wild Weasels because their cruisers resemble law-enforcement scale versions of electronic warfare airplanes used in Vietnam. The average cruiser has 4 alternators and 20 batteries used to power hundreds of radios, radars, VASCARs, remote rectal probes and other detection equipment, thus rendering the Old Dominion deserving of its nickname.

    --
    Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
  7. RFID? by andy1307 · · Score: 4, Funny

    First a chip in my head and now a RFID chip in my car. I'd be worried if i was interesting enough to be tracked.

  8. beep! by thebra · · Score: 2, Funny

    warning a driver that his vehicle is going too fast to safely negotiate an upcoming curve

    I hope it doesn't beep, that could get annoying real fast. :)

  9. Re:Goodbye privacy by kabocox · · Score: 4, Funny

    The state where I live in even requires for these little metal signs to be mounted on the outside of my car with a unquie identifier! Can you believe it? There is a law that I have to have a little sticker on it, which I have to pay for every year also! Am I just renting my vechile from the goverment? I also heard that the Federal Government requires a unquie SN on each an every vechile made! That number is printed on parts all over your vechile and hidden from view.

    I don't know about you, but I don't have much faith that I have ever had any privacy while in a vechile on a public road.

  10. Re:Goodbye privacy by Kenja · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hey now. If we all went around reading articles before jumping to parinoid conclusions, what kind of Slashdotters would we be?

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
  11. New use? by 99bottles · · Score: 2, Funny

    Will this thing send me the phone number of the jack ass in front of me so I can call him and get him out of the fast lane?
    Better yet, how about the number of hottie in the convertable next to me? ...hey, I'm beginning to like this thing.

  12. Re:Goodbye privacy by DaHat · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not to mention requiring an id card with a not so flattering picture of yourself in order to drive such a vehicle. I've seen these ID's, they are horrifying! They have all kinds of personal information on you... like your name, your address, height, weight, etc. Where on earth did we ever go so wrong?

  13. Re:Asscroft testifying on TV by ultramk · · Score: 2, Funny

    I mean I've put up a better and more coherrent public defence of my spending and dubious affairs in front of the board of our corporation even when I've been royally hungover and weak on facts.

    Please, don't make fun of our president.

    It Hurts The Country.(TM)

    m-

    --
    You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
  14. Re:Goodbye privacy by nitehawk214 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Note that mindless4210 both posted the article and this thread. So this means we have posters that dont even read the article!

    --
    I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
  15. Re:Goodbye privacy by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 3, Funny

    I shall bake my car in a microwave oven! Hahaaaaaa! You'll see!

    --
    "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
  16. Re:Goodbye privacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And yes, I read the article--I posted the damn thing.

    Do you ever get the feeling you don't belong here on /.?