The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that all new vehicles in the U.S. be required to have blood alcohol monitoring systems that can stop an intoxicated person from driving.
It has been half-a-lifetime since I last drove after having a few drinks. But no, I am not having a government booze spy in my car, anymore than I will let an insurance company monitor my driving.
But hell, why stop there? Why not develop technology to detect a driver's emotional state or to detect road rage?
Or why not have a speed limiter that monitors the posted limit ? One which has an emergency by pass for when you actually have a justified reason to speed.
ReplyDeleteWhy not? GPSs and nav apps know what the speed limit is. They could have something to detect work zones and slow down.
ReplyDeleteComrade, for the same reason my car sometimes shows 100 mph instead of 20 mph in a school zone? I know, you weren’t serious…
ReplyDeleteOn to alcohol monitoring, NTSB has been recommending, small r, since 2012, and only now has gone big R. The research has been since 2008, and they still can’t make it flawless. The inherent problem is similar to “smart guns”, but with a much more militant opposition.
You have that little black box in your car that can narc you, unless you have an older car before OBD2.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with driving a car at speed if you are capable
Dan Gurney and Brock Yates race across country in a day and a half.
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/columns/a15143608/the-cannonball-baker-sea-to-shining-sea-memorial-trophy-dash-archived-feature/
Something anyone can do for practice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXJzt4bRWR8
Way back when, when paint-ball was new, the physics prof at the cc I was teaching computer science at and I jury-rigged up an off-the-shelf radar-gun and an electronic triggering device on a paint-ball gun to double-tap cars speeding through the school-zone where we were parents and volunteers. Even demonstrated it to the police dept. Shook their heads at it.
ReplyDeleteWith the spatter placement could even measure how fast ...
Mr. Jones, the problem with so many drivers is that they believe they have the ability to drive at any speed they want. So many of them are wrong, both skill and judgement wise. Even the Autobahn has some speed recommendations and limits in some areas. The Germans also have much higher standards for licensing and stricter enforcement.
ReplyDeletedan greene, to a great extent that summarizes a lot of the problems. People with no understanding of the physics involved or the risk, driving however, storing guns however, and so forth. We can’t have better licensing because free-dumb…and yes, I apply that to guns too, although the argument that Gubinment would use that to discriminate is pretty solid.
ReplyDeleteEmotional state and IQ. Most cars would never start.
ReplyDeleteLet's call these true in the driving domain:
ReplyDelete1. Mr. Jones, the problem with so many drivers is that they believe they have the ability to drive at any speed they want. So many of them are wrong, both skill and judgement wise. Even the Autobahn has some speed recommendations and limits in some areas. The Germans also have much higher standards for licensing and stricter enforcement.
2. dan greene, to a great extent that summarizes a lot of the problems. People with no understanding of the physics involved or the risk, driving however, storing guns however, and so forth. We can’t have better licensing because free-dumb…and yes, I apply that to guns too, although the argument that Gubinment would use that to discriminate is pretty solid.
When you drive faster than the average bear, you have to assume a certain amount of responsibility for the extra risk created. 80 mph in Chicago or Atlanta during rush hour is pretty normal... Corvette brakes always got me out of any risk I ever created.
It's the same argument as Gun Control. Restrict YOU because of something someone else MIGHT do. Rather than enforce existing laws, of course.....
ReplyDelete