GPS Tracking on cars

[dukebound85]

After reading this article and others like it, I am not liking the direction this is going. I do not want the government to have a knowledge of where I go even though I have nothing to hide. This makes me want to just maintain my current car for eternity lol. What are your thoughts about this issue? Heck, I should move to Australia

Here's the article

http://msn.com.com/2100-1009_22-5982762.html?part=msn&subj=ns_22-5982762&tag=tg_home

 

[Lacero]

It'll eventually come to fruition. I guess it's better to get a speeding ticket in the mail, than a police officer pulling you over for two reasons:

1. keeps you from having to stop and miss an appointment.
2. reduces potential officer fatalities.

Keeps the honest, honest, and the dishonest, honest.

Here's to the Crazy Ones ​

 

[mpw]

I didn't read the full article posted so this might have been covered but anyway.

I read of a rental company in the either the US or Canada that used GPS tracking to record every time a rental car crossed over States lines or into the US/Canada, they also used a 'black-box' to record each instance a car exceeded the speed limit and charge the renters credit card each time. It was all legal 'cause they had it in the rental contract. You ever read the small print?

 

[dukebound85]

I guess my issue is privacy. I would like to be able to go somewhere without the possibility of the government knowing where I am. Also I am perfectly fine with paying my taxes through gasoline prices rather than per mile as would be done most likely if they were able to keep track. It's stuff like this that makes me want to go live in the 50's. I mean I can't even shoot off fireworks anymore how lame is that.

In my opinion Lacero, if you are speeding then you do deserve to miss an appointment lol.

 

[bgd]

...I would like to be able to go somewhere without the possibility of the government knowing where I am.....

You could always walk I suppose, or ride a bicycle. Just make sure you leave your mobile phone behind, avoid any CCTV, don't use a credit card......

In the not so distant future the govt will know everything about you. That's certainly the way things appear to be going, I'm just not that sure why the State feels the need to be all knowing.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I guess my issue is privacy. I would like to be able to go somewhere without the possibility of the government knowing where I am. Also I am perfectly fine with paying my taxes through gasoline prices rather than per mile as would be done most likely if they were able to keep track. It's stuff like this that makes me want to go live in the 50's. I mean I can't even shoot off fireworks anymore how lame is that.

In my opinion Lacero, if you are speeding then you do deserve to miss an appointment lol.

Privacy is for you, not your vehicle. The article stated that there is no expectation of privacy when on public road ways as ruled by SCOTUS. Also remember driving here in the US is a privilege, not a right.

As to taxes by gas or miles. Why should Driver A pay the same amount in gas taxes for driving Car A that gets 40mpg for 10K miles a year, and Driver B gets 20mpg and drives 5K miles a year?

As stated maybe charging by the mile would alter how people use their vehicles. It could lead to better mass transit usage.

 

[mpw]

...As to taxes by gas or miles. Why should Driver A pay the same amount in gas taxes for driving Car A that gets 40mpg for 10K miles a year, and Driver B gets 20mpg and drives 5K miles a year?

As stated maybe charging by the mile would alter how people use their vehicles. It could lead to better mass transit usage.

A good point, what is the purpose of the tax? As I've always believed that a tax should only be raised against something that has a cost attached I can see that a gas tax takes care of the cost of using oil and the environmental damage that causes. I can also see that there is a cost of road maintenance and infrastructure that could be better accounted for in a road usage tax based on distance traveled.

Obviously neither is an absolutely ‘fair’ tax as one car might be heavy wear the road more etc. etc.

One other possible use for tax by location using GPS could be, like in London, having a congestion charge. Each time you drive into a congested city centre you pay an additional charge.

If the authorities want to build a bridge to overpass a highway they could charge every vehicle using the junction from the time the plan is given the OK instead of just putting a toll on the bridge once complete as might be done now.

I can see benefits to taxing by GPS but I can see there’ll be a lot of people who’ll be wary of any move toward it.

OT: One of the best uses for GPS I’ve seen in a while is the new Volvo system that uses the in-car sat-nav and cell-phone to alert the emergency services of your location if the airbags get triggered.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

GPS Tracking?

Haha, did you know that the gov't also can track cell phones even if you're not talking on them and just have it on? I use to work for a company that developed this technology and saw a demonstration way back in 1998 or so - I imagine its gone a lot further today.

I wouldn't worry about it - even if they can track you, why would they? With the GPS they're not looking at individuals but mass numbers of vehicles on the road.

With the cell phone tracking system they know who you are, or at least whose phone it is.

D

 

[mpw]

GPS Tracking?

Haha, did you know that the gov't also can track cell phones even if you're not talking on them and just have it on?...

There was, and might still be, a UK website that you could register your simcard and then log-on to see where your phone was to the nearest 30m or something.

I remeber it got mention in the papers as being used mainly by people tracking their spouse and by employers keeping track of sales reps.

 

[Abstract]

Near Toronto, we have an electronic toll highway. It is the first of its kind in the world. There is no pay-booth before you get on. A camera reads your license and either sends you a bill in the mail for your highway trip, or your electronic transponder that you keep in the car will be detected and you'll be charged less money per km (the cost varies depends on how far you drive on that highway, since they also keep track of when/where you exit the highway, allowing them to calculate distance). Since they can electronically keep track of where and when you get on, where and when you get off, they can calculate your average speed on the highway and see if it's over the limit. They could easily give you a ticket, but they don't.


Don't worry so much.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Since they can electronically keep track of where and when you get on, where and when you get off, they can calculate your average speed on the highway and see if it's over the limit. They could easily give you a ticket, but they don't.

The NJTP, tale has it, use to give out speeding tickets based on the toll ticket that your received when you got on. Then comparing it to the toll booth your were getting off at.