Are you onboard for this?

Boyd

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"New cars must beep and display a warning if the driver exceeds the speed limit by at least ten mph." I don't think it would be much of an issue for me if it only happens at 10mph above the limit. It would be rare for me to go that fast. I generally stay pretty close to the limit, have never been much of a "speed freak" or thrill-seeker.

OTOH, it's not something I would go around campaigning for. ;)
 

enormiss

Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
607
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Atco NJ
I’ll keep driving my old junk, thank you. My Here maps alerts over 10mph. It’s really annoying when traffic bounces between 9-11 over, cause it keeps alerting every time you drop and go back over…
 
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smoke_jumper

Piney
Mar 5, 2012
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I find it hard to believe most Americans are ok with their car constantly tracking where they are at all the time. And record their speed. The only way for the car to know the speed limit is to know what road you are on.
 
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bobpbx

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Oct 25, 2002
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I find it hard to believe most Americans are ok with their car constantly tracking where they are at all the time. And record their speed. The only way for the car to know the speed limit is to know what road you are on.
But John, all GPS units like the Garmin brand (which I still have in my truck) do that. I'm sure you've used them before.
 

Boyd

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That battle was already lost without a fight. License plate scanners are everywhere, there are businesses that lease them and even small towns have signed up, installing stationary ones and also putting them on police cars where they constantly harvest data from every car they pass. And if that's not enough, do you have a cell phone? If it's turned on, you're being tracked.

Not sure if you can even buy a new car that doesn't have internet connectivity and gps built in (even if they don't have a navigation app). This is actually a selling point, so I guess people are "ok" with it. Remember last year, a Volkswagen was carjacked with a kid in the back (or something). The car had the gps/cellular hardware but the owner did not subscribe to the service. So, the company refused to cooperate with law enforcement. IIRC, the refusal came from the company that VW contracted to manage the program and VW ended up changing their policy to automatically include a subscription on all their cars.

I don't know whether Americans are "ok" with it, but that genie isn't going back in the bottle. I've read that businesses are also deploying license plate scanners in their parking lots, there was some controversy about a big chain (Starbucks? McDonalds? Don't remember) using them so that when you pulled up to the drive in window, they knew who you were and what you usually ordered. Facial recognition is also being used similarly, with private companies selling them as a service. Just read an article about one of the biggest companies, whose stated goal is to have every face on the planet in their database and is already off to a good start. Privacy, as I've known it for much of my life, just doesn't exist anymore. I'm not happy about that, but it doesn't seem to bother others very much.

But, regarding that article, it says they are proposing a system where a camera actually recognizes the speed limit signs using the computer in your car without an internet connection. In that case, no "tracking" is being done. It's just reading the speed limit signs like you would (should?) do yourself.
 

smoke_jumper

Piney
Mar 5, 2012
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Atco, NJ
But, regarding that article, it says they are proposing a system where a camera actually recognizes the speed limit signs using the computer in your car without an internet connection. In that case, no "tracking" is being done. It's just reading the speed limit signs like you would (should?) do yourself.
You caught me lol. I didn’t get a chance to actually read the whole article and was even going to mention it in my original response.
As some of you know I do a lot of driving with my job. Much of it is NYC too. In September I got a new work car. This is the first one that has all the new sensors. I beeps at me if I start drifting. It beeps at me if it thinks I haven’t touched the steering enough. It beeps and flashes if it sees stopped traffic ahead. And occasionally it will slam on my breaks to avoid what it thinks would be an accident. Driving through Manhattan several times it’s slammed on my breaks when a bicyclist cross crosses through traffic. I’m not a big fan of it lol
 
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bobpbx

Piney
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When I bought my new car in December, I read the fine print that said they would share my driving data with "partners" unless I opt out. So, I followed the bread crumbs to opt out. It took some fancy internet turns to find it, but I found it, and they sent me a statement verifying that I opted out. But I still have the button to push up by the visor to have them send me aid if I need it. That I kept on.
 

Boyd

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My 2023 car has all those sensors and alerts and yeah, the braking alerts can be very startling and usually there's no apparent reason. But it's all optional (AFAIK) and you only get the alerts when the assistive options are enabled (like adaptive cruise control). But it's all very confusing, with icons on the screen I still don't understand. I think they just passed a law that all new cars must have automatic braking systems in a few years, didn't they?

Anyway, the primary point I was making was that it makes no difference how old your car is, what sensors it has or whether your cell phone is turned off. License plate readers are tracking you everywhere. I think NYC tracks your EZpass wherever you go, don't they? That was a system they rolled out a number of years ago, to support the congestion pricing scheme that their governor just shot down.
 

Boyd

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I read the fine print that said they would share my driving data with "partners" unless I opt out. So, I followed the bread crumbs to opt out.

They really need to make this kind of thing easier and more obvious. Of course, there's also the question of whether you can trust them. But let's say they're trustworthy and actually don't share any of your data. Then, they get hacked and now your data is available to any bad guy who can afford it. :eek:
 

66C10

Explorer
Aug 4, 2023
108
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South Vineland
Driving a modern vehicle is like driving a cellphone with wheels. Manufactures are constantly battling with keeping their radio software up to speed with Apple and Android software. Customer comes in with a radio complaint (i.e. Apple carplay disconnects randomly while driving) and the radio software needs to be updated via usb that has update software downloaded provided to dealerships by the manufacturer. So the radio and phone are now up to date and now working correctly. Then BOOM new update comes out from Apple a month later and a new concern arises (i.e. bluetooth calls drop out randomly while driving) except this time the manufacturer hasn't provided the dealer with a new software yet so Mr. or Mrs. Customer now has to deal with this issue until dealership gets the proper tool (USB) from manufacturer. It's a seemingly never ending cycle that we deal with every day. Customer buys a 50-60-70-thousand dollar vehicle and is told "Sorry Mr. Customer we know your paying $900 a month for this vehicle but your phone won't be able to be used via bluetooth in this car due to the fact that the manufacturer is aware of the issue and doesn't have a fix yet." How about interference? 6 kids in a car with 1 driver= 7 different phones in the veh at the same time along with may be an ipad or 2 or whatever the kid is playing games on, can cause modern audio units to go haywire. Same with an EZ Pass or dash cam mounted on the windshield too close to the lane departure warning camera that the customer probably has no idea their car even had. Some vehicles with can have 6 cameras mounted all over the vehicle for Automatic Emergency Braking, Around View Monitor, Self Parking ect... but if you want to put a dash cam in your vehicle next thing you know the vehicle is setting off 10 different warning lights all from an aftermarket accessory (dash cam) being plugged in. How about when you own a 10 year old vehicle and find that the OEM or aftermarket doesn't manufacture a part you need to fix your veh anymore. Now days radios could cost 1-2 thousand dollars, 1 aluminum rim is $900, and an all PLASTIC glovebox assembly could be $1100. I will keep fixing these modern garbage cans on wheels by day and driving home my 14 year old vehicle by night. Modern vehicles are a scam that we are forced into.
 
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Deleted member 7363

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I'm sure it will be as up to date, accurate, and useful as google maps, which has never, ever sent people down eroded, washed out and long impassible roads.
 
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