Car Control

Townhall.com ^ | July 23, 2015 | Jackie Gingrich Cushman

[relictele]

Of all the wacko control freakery DC has trotted out, Ray LaHood may be the worst recent practitioner with his black boxes, speed control, etc.

[mad_as_he$$]

Old problem. OnStar has been vulnerable from day one.

[gorush]

"...and partly because he has learned to endure my uncontrollable need to provide commentary about his driving skills from the passenger seat -- even though his driving record is better than mine. It defies logic that the worse driver is the more vocal critic but, as I said, it's out of my control."

After much consideration, I think it best to refrain from commenting on what, to me, appears obvious.

[Quality_Not_Quantity]

1,400 miles in three weeks? What a lightweight. My wife and I just got done driving 2,500 miles in ONE week. Biggest day was 520 miles, including a 110 mile roundtrip to a job site, lunch 75 miles further with my brother, 150 miles further to dinner with wife’s brothers, then onward to a midnight arrival at our next stop. THAT was a long day.

His point about internet-connected vehicles is not without merit - just like concerns about internet connectivity in commercial airplanes, where it was recently alleged that a white-hat hacker was able to take momentary control of an airplane’s controls from his laptop.

[hlmencken3]

I’ll bet high tech wonders like the $100,000 Audi A8 pictured would be more vulnerable to hacking than lower tech vehicles.

[ctdonath2]

Featherweights.
My wife & I will do 1000-mile trips overnight (leave at 6pm, arrive around noon) a couple times a year.
We’ve done 2000 miles (Atlanta -> Syracuse -> Atlanta) in < 3 days ... just to see a litter of puppies.

[BBB333]

“...and unbelievably frightening, dense and fast traffic along interstates merely two lanes wide.”

Wuss. Stopped reading there.

[immadashell]

Private citizens abandoned their privacy when they signed up for Facebook, Twitter et.al. The cell phone is the ultimate surrender. This is very troubling for some of us who cherished our freedom and privacy not so many years ago.

[freebilly]

Semi normal week in California....

[IYAS9YAS]

I’ll bet high tech wonders like the $100,000 Audi A8 pictured would be more vulnerable to hacking than lower tech vehicles.

Lower tech, maybe, but not necessarily lower priced. The system they hi-jacked is the Uconnect system from Chrysler, which is available as an option (not currently offered as a standard item) in many Chrysler (including the entry-level 200), Dodge, and Jeep products. Here's a link to a list of all vehicles where Uconnect is available: http://www.driveuconnect.com/features/uconnect_access/packages/

[rockrr]

Famous last words of a doomed civilization: "Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do something"

[KGeorge]

LOL Me, too. But I kept reading. I’m pretty sure my 2011 Jeep doesn’t have UConnect, but I’m afraid to call the dealer & question them about it. (workin up the nerve) What if it has it & they “threw it in” because they couldn’t take it off/ I didn’t want?

That sure sounds “life threatening” to me. Windshield washer/ wipers- can’t see & the 18 wheeler sure was.
lol Somebody woulda nearly died for the rap music. (strangulation)

[I want the USA back]

“Self-driving” cars won’t “self-drive” in the driving rain. Won’t work. Sensors won’t be able to sense anything. So what the hell good is a “self-driving” car?

[SaxxonWoods]

She averaged 63.6 mph despite bad weather, children in the car (lots of stops) and lots of cone zones. That’s some very fast driving.

[rfreedom4u]

provide commentary about his driving skills from the passenger seat

After many years of marriage I have finally learned how to silence my wife regarding my driving skills. I simply reply with “Yes dear” to everything she says. Surprisingly it doesn’t take too many to get her to talk about something else.

[IYAS9YAS]

LOL Me, too. But I kept reading. I’m pretty sure my 2011 Jeep doesn’t have UConnect, but I’m afraid to call the dealer & question them about it. (workin up the nerve) What if it has it & they “threw it in” because they couldn’t take it off/ I didn’t want?

You don't. It was only available beginning in 2013.

[Another Post-American]

I work at a Tier 1 auto supplier on safety critical electronics. Let me give you an ugly truth I am absolutely convinced of:

In 10 years, a frequent nightly occurrence at upscale homes will be a phone call, kinda like the ones we get now from foreign-accented speakers claiming your PC has been hacked. Only these folks will be telling you that they have hacked your car, and if you don’t wire them a hefty payment immediately, your next trip will wind up with you in the ditch... or worse.

I don’t think this is a slight possibility. I regard it as a near-certainty, because it’s just too easy to do whether the criminals are actually hacking your car or not. Who wants to take the chance? All it will take is a few more stories like this one to get the crime wave started.

And the only way to stop it will be to find ways to absolutely lock down all vehicle internet comm so that no one can get hacked like this anywhere. Then people will know to laugh off such calls and they will die off. Otherwise.... keep that old used car you have. You might want it some day.

[Kaslin]

Did you see the report about the GOOGlE self driving cars having numerous wrecks?

[sportutegrl]

We drove from Philadelphia to Washington State, with stops in New Hampshire and Baton Rouge, Louisiana to see family, because it was, “on the way”.