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RFID for Automobile Tracking

Posted by michael on from the car-talk dept.

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."

6 of 439 comments (clear)

  1. "it's for your safety" by grub · · Score: 5, Insightful


    [...] 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

    Riiiiiight... they're wanting this system incorporated to protect you. They'd never dream of setting up receivers in traffic lights at (major) intersections to track the movement of people. Watch: it will be a crime to disable these systems, "for your safety" of course.

    Yeah, yeah; I may need a tinfoil hat. Ask yourself, though, do you feel safer?

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  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...

  3. 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.

  4. 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?"
  5. Is tracking *ever* ok? by Infonaut · · Score: 5, Insightful
    This isn't a flamebait question. I always react negatively to news that the government is getting ready to implement some form of monitoring or tracking. But lately I've been wondering how much of this reaction is just knee-jerk fear of an Orwellian future that may never come to pass. For example, there are cameras all over NYC, London, et. al., tracking people as they walk the streets, go into businesses, and so on.

    I guess my real question is this: when is it OK for the government to implement surveillance, tracking, monitoring, etc. in order to save lives? Or are we so afraid of own governments that we can't afford to allow such things?

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    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  6. 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