It didn't
take the Amazing Kreskin or even George Orwell to see this coming. With the increasing popularity (and commensurately
decreasing cost) of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology, Canada is investigating in-car electronic variable
speed governors designed to thwart drivers bent on ignoring posted limits.
It was only a matter of time and will, as vehicles incorporating GPS-enabled sat-nav systems already monitor speed, direction and location in real-time. But in this variation, the same basic technology is augmented with a digital speed map that actively enforces the posted limit, greatly retarding a vehicle's rate of acceleration after the speed limit is met. Capping it altogether would likely prove the simple matter of a few programmer keystrokes.
Presumably, such systems would gain legal acceptance by designating certain domains for their use-- school and construction zones, perhaps. But it one needn't be Brock Yates to visualize the potential for this technology to seep into the wider roadscape.
[More detail and exposé after the jump]
Aside from the obvious potential impact on efficient travel and the fact that national death rates have essentially ebbed irrespective of speed limit increases, there are other practical sticking points: certain rare emergencies require expedient (read: speedy) responses. Imagine the danger posed by driving a pregnant wife or sick child to the hospital, only to become ensnared by a GPS Big Brother that fails to realize the gravity of the situation. Indeed, there are common driving situations in which the ability to accelerate (at any speed) can keep one out of harm's way.
So, will this Canadian experiment find traction? It's hard to say. As compelling as such a system might be to "road safety advocates," it stands to rob municipalities and states of a major revenue stream: speeding tickets. Ironically, the world's automobile enthusiasts may find their driving interests preserved by an unexpected ally: the law.
(Tipster nod to JS)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tcc3 @ Feb 2nd 2006 7:50AM
Just like Radar Guns and Breathalyzers before it, this highly unreliable, yet hard to disprove technology will enable municipalities everyware to increase their revenue by railroading their citizens. $cha-ching$
Poe @ Feb 2nd 2006 8:17AM
Not if you jab a screwdriver through it.
Dusty @ Feb 2nd 2006 8:47AM
I'm Canadian and it'll be a cold day in hell before I let someone put one of those in my car. It's my god-given right to speed.
bernie @ Feb 2nd 2006 8:56AM
When you're a "good patriot" and support the US Government shaking Google and Yahoo down to evesdrop on what we're searching; and you wave the flag as the president defends his domestic wiretap program...
Remember this article.
Jason @ Feb 2nd 2006 9:04AM
The next step is insurance companies will lobby Congress and getting ownership of the box or making the data in the box their property. Then they'll check the data out before they write your policy. In the current environment of Congress selling out to the highest bidder, the deep pockets of the insurance lobby is a frightening thing.
The George Orwell comment was intended to be clever, but it scares the hell out of me.
Speed freak @ Feb 2nd 2006 9:12AM
Great! Another way to prison us in this so-called "free-world". This conflicts with general freedom of mobility. Why not just become dictatoral in government?
JS @ Feb 2nd 2006 9:39AM
Yea!!!! My first tip!!! WHOO HOOO
Oh and about the article. I give it about a day before someone hacks the GPS to either A) disable completely or B) make it so it looks likes your car is obeying all the rules all the time or (highly unlikely but freakin awesome if it would work) C) reverse the GPS to track the cop cars instead! haha
Mike from Scarborough @ Feb 2nd 2006 9:46AM
I'm a Canadian also.And we love speed also.The people that don't should take the Bus.Wanna reduce accidents?Stop handing out licences to people who can't drive,regardless how many times they failed their exam.Increase the speed limit in the express lanes to 130 kph., and ban cell phones in cars.
Domo @ Feb 2nd 2006 9:49AM
I am going to rent a car in the State and drive in Canada then
Ken @ Feb 2nd 2006 10:08AM
It's not my god given right to speed but it's my responsibility to drive safely. I believe these devices, besides being dangerous in times when you'd need extra speed to safley pass or merge and a way of removing personal freedom and privacy, will make people drive in ways that are unsafe. I feel this as well as adaptive cruiscontrol, will lead to drivers feeling like they don't have to govern the speed of the car rather just pilot it around obstacles. The idea that someone could be traveling behind me, doing the speedlimit at full throttle, while their cruise control maintains the proper distance doesn't seem right. I'm going to buy a new car soon and plan to be keeping it for a while, there's just enough of Big Brother in current autos for my taste, this is where I draw the line.
On a side note, I don't believe this system coudl be emplemented without people either covering the GPS reciever to block it's signal or hacking the system to always give the appearance to the computer of being somehwere else.
lyrictenor1 @ Feb 2nd 2006 10:11AM
Another issue here: what if sudden accelaration (above the speed limit) is needed to get out of a dangerous road situation? This seems like this can do more harm the good in some ways...not to mention the Orwellian thing too..
Sean Flanagan @ Feb 2nd 2006 10:42AM
Chris hit the nail on the head in the last paragraph of this article: this will never happen because it will rob municipalities of millions of dollars in traffic fine revenue. The only way to combat that would be to raise local taxes or set up a national municipality fine reimbursement program, also likely funded by raising taxes. But even then it would still probably cause a great number of police to be laid off, replaced with technology.
Think, too, of the Gatsos in the UK and the public backlash caused by their no-exceptions policy. There is an accepted understanding between drivers and law enforcement that normal "flow of traffic" is anywhere between 5 and 10 mph ABOVE the posted speed limit. Instituting a technology-based no-exceptions system will immediately force that paradigm to disappear, and likely frustrate drivers either by not allowing them the additional 5-10 mph or by mercilessly doling out fines for previously accepted learned behavior.
LM @ Feb 2nd 2006 10:44AM
Oh goodness, Canada wants to legalize drugs, allows & values gay sex, so what’s so wrong with a little speeding?
They are infringing on my human rights!
klaatu @ Feb 2nd 2006 10:44AM
GM plan on implementing a system which keeps cars from hitting one another - using GPS.
See the article
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060202/BUSINESS01/602020617/1014
The way things are going, within 10 years, I'll just go to my garage, jump into my new car, the robot inside will say "good morning, klaatu, are we going to work today? It's the right time." I'll answer "yes, please. Oh yeah, I want to go to the credit union first."
And off we'll go. I'll be busy reading autoblog.com on the instrument panel LCD and the car "robot inside" will just drive me to the credit union, then to work.
No speeding will be possible, but no accidents will be possible either.
The governments will have to raise taxes to make up for the loss of those nice revenues lost in all those tickets they write for speeding. Maybe they'll tax GPS access, but require it for use in all vehicles.
The question is, will collector car owners have to retrofit their vehicles? Yeah, I can see Leno in one of his early 20'th century Stanley Steamers, retrofitted for GPS and robotized driving, right?
Right.
Dusty @ Feb 2nd 2006 11:04AM
#13 Good job LM!!! I wondered how long it would take someone to relate gay marriage/pot decriminalization to this article. This forums about cars, not human rights infringments idiot.
Cahrles @ Feb 2nd 2006 11:05AM
Sound's a lot like a system developed by Leeds University in England way back in 1994. The technology was used to create the Road Angel its an accident blackspot and police camera alert system.
http://www.blackspot.com/about/index.html
Sometimes good things do come from this type of technology.
Kurt B @ Feb 2nd 2006 12:32PM
Somebody ask Bob Rae about this. His gov't got tossed partially over mobile speed camera units in Ontario. I assume the same would happen if this ever became an issue.
seto @ Feb 2nd 2006 11:08PM
i think if it's JUST in school areas then it's perfectly fine. some idiots would drive 30 km/h above limit there.
you can't ban cell phones in cars! what if you are in an accident and can't get out? what if someone in ur family needs ur help while ur driving? cell phones in cars is not a reason why people speed and people crash.
Jason Russell @ Mar 24th 2006 1:54PM
My take on this is that the system would be hacked, I'd have fun hacking it, and that I'd share my knowledge with millions of others and effectively crash the program.
As far as emergency speeding goes, I assume it would be accomplished by linking the system to the hazard lights button.
As for guided-distance-spacing controls, it could always be overidden by a deflector in front of the sensor driving the signal into the sky.
As for cell phones, I suggest that all handheld cellphones be banned from use of the drivers while moving, and that all systems be voice activated. If the driver has to punch buttons while moving, he's not watching the road.
Kenny @ Mar 24th 2006 4:46PM
All vehicles made after 2003 have this capability already installed with-in your cars computer. You cannot diable it without destroying the computer. If any government agency decides to use this type of enforcement, you won't have a choice as to get it or not, because its already in your car! This same data can be retrived from the computer if you are involved in an accident. They can download the last 500 miles that you drove, and if they find that you where speeding, swerving, or anything else, they are going to throw you into jail for the maximum they can throw at you. Just another fine example of how the government continues to oppress you without your say!