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Texas Using WiFi to Encourage Driving Breaks
squidfrog writes "An AP article reports: 'To encourage drivers to take more frequent breaks, the Texas Department of Transportation wants to set up free wireless Internet access at rest stops and travel information centers. TxDOT, which says Texas is the first state to provide such free access at rest areas, began experimenting with WiFi hotspots last fall... Andy Keith, manager of TxDOT's maintenance division, said the state hopes to reduce fatigue-related accidents by encouraging drivers to stop more often.' Is public WiFi becoming a trend?" We previously mentioned this scheme a couple of weeks back, although not the motivation behind it.
It could be awesome. How about setting up some Ad-Hoc network across cars driving in between the rest stations. If you get enough users, you would never lose connectivity!
This could be a great way to do scheduled updates, maybe you won't get much rest, but truckers and others with the right automation could drive through and automatically log in, upload/download their messages and schedule changes, and just keep on going. Think of the productivity!
If you must moderate, please moderate as irrelevent, not something bad, because I'm sure someone will find this interest
They can already trace you using your cell phone. Even if you turn your phone off, they could track your gas purchases if you use a credit/debit card. Even if they don't do these things, what's to stop them from installing cameras along the highway and using your license plate to track you? In fact, if you drive on toll roads (or toll bridges) they're already doing this.
:) Mod parent +1 funny.
I wouldn't worry about the government using wifi to track you. Unlike the other methods, all they could get would be your mac address (and maybe a list of the sites you visited) anyway. Of course you were joking
Remember the days when Republicans were the party of fiscal responsibility?
This is a very true statement. I only make it 'home' every couple years now. The last was for one of my old high school reunion. I was only going to be around the house for 4 days after the reunion 2 hours away. My father was supposed to be there for the last two days. His pickup was delayed. -12 hours. He is limited to 8 hours a day. minus a few more hours. His drop off was delayed. He waited 12 hours. He hightails it home. And misses me by 2 hours since I had to leave amongst hurricane evac traffic and needed an extra hour to get to the airport to get out. (gotta love the carolinas in the fall . . .)
Truck drivers don't want to spend time at rest stops. When they are resting, they are doing just that; resting. But, with limitations on how much they can drive in a given day and over a given week, there is time where they have to do something. Cell phones are getting cheaper, especially with family to family calling, but there are always limits and rules that eventually bring that bill up.
Getting connectivity during one of those stops would allow him to IM with my mother and youngest brother. And if they do this in enough places (he doesn't often get down here to Texas that often), I'd be motivated to outfit his rig with some good wifi gear and try out some VOIP stuff (which might bomb, but its worth trying).
Military pensions for those who've faithfully and honorably served decades just doesn't go far enough. It's bad enough that my father has to work his retirement years away from his family. Any little thing that could improve that time he spends away being a part of the grand interstate commerce scheme and let him keep in touch I see as a good thing. Truck drivers aren't the scuzzy hollywood stereotype (though I'm sure there're some that are, I haven't met any yet) . . . Many are ex-military. And most know how to use a computer since most of those semis are equipped with Sat driven comptuers to monitor their locations and times spent driving now . . . it's just too bad those don't allow for data uplinks for them to hookup pc's into or supply a voip connection.