Posted on 11/18/2010 5:25:22 PM PST by pissant
The US government may require cars to include scrambling tech that would disable mobile-phone use by drivers, and perhaps passengers.
"I think it will be done," US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said on Wednesday morning, according to The Daily Caller. "I think the technology is there and I think you're going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones."
LaHood is on a self-described "rampage" against distracted driving, and if making it impossible to use a mobile phone while in a car can save lives, he's all for it — although, according to TDC, LaHood also emphasized the role of "personal responsibility."
In a Tuesday blog post announcing an online video series, "Faces of Distracted Driving", which presents first-person accounts of distracted-driving tragedies, LaHood noted that "Just last year, nearly 5,500 people were killed and 500,000 more were injured in distracted driving-related crashes.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.co.uk ...
A better idea would be prison time for any idiot involved in a crash while using and driving
It was NEVER a good company.
Actually, they're planning on banning the bacon chili cheeseburger completely, never mind while driving.
I want to know who elected Ray LaHood to make brand new laws for us?
Mumbles LaHood is a freaking retard. They’ll figure out a work-around in about 30 seconds.
ON STAR is NOT a cell phone. If you don’t own a car with ON STAR, don’t make stupid comments.
RINO
On Star is a cell phone... you just don’t realize it.. it is also a tracking device. the cellular is how they communicate with you..
C
On Star is a cell phone... you just don’t realize it.. it is also a tracking device. the cellular is how they communicate with you..
C
On Star is a cell phone... you just don’t realize it.. it is also a tracking device. the cellular is how they communicate with you..
C
On Star is a cell phone... you just don’t realize it.. it is also a tracking device. the cellular is how they communicate with you..
C
I’m gonna live so I can die the way I want to. F’ em.
I lived around DC long enough to have seen these arrogant @$$holes in the backseats of their GOVT Towncars and armored SUV's (Cabinet Secretaries and 'potent Congressmens) with cell phones jammed against their ears. This will never fly.
It would take years to develop, then implement - prolly starting with Government Motors cars, which will strangle off any dim hope they had of profitability.
There are problems with leakage, crushing pedestrians ability to make phone calls which would require insulating and weak signals which makes trunk mounted antennae and BT headsets a great stocking stuffer for the motoring phalker.
I can't imagine that AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile have so little presence on K-Street that this sort of crap would be allowed to decimate their industries.
Since a scrambler needs power and an antennae, I see two immediate weak points. Permanent fix can be had by bridging the black and red power leads across a consumer grade stun gun's probes. Can't get in trouble because the circuitry got fried.
What frequency does 4G take and would it too be scrambled? How long before Skype has an easy to use application that fits on the popular cell-phones that use this technology?
Wouldn't this be a problem for LEOs who seem to be major transgressors of comm equipment while driving? Even though they would likely get waivers, just being in proximity to tampered vehicles ought to muck up those systems.
Then we have the malicious teenager hack. So once techniques to defeat/remove these devices become available over the internet, how many will be gutted from cars, attached to amplifiers and used to play pranks on the population? Soon cell-phone use will be so inconvenient and disrupted that we will regress technologically back forty years.
So, will they next require that my minivan automatically duct tape my three children’s mouths when I put it in drive? All of them talking, singing, etc. all at the same time is far more distracting than talking on my cell. The only accident I have ever had (backing into a tree in by my driveway) was caused by being distracted by a child crying.
Congress people and other special people will be granted “waivers.”
I think there's a word for that: fascists.
I think they should put a little Red/Green flashing light on the top of all cars ... that turns on when the driver is on the phone (I could build that) ... then you’d know to get out of the way when you see one coming! But don’t take the phones away. Now how’s that for compromise? /s
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.