London to pilot a GPS based speed limit system

prizrak

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gizmodo said:
Transport for London is announcing a large-scale trial of the Intelligent Speed Adaption system, which uses preloaded road data and GPS to slow speeders. Basically, the future is everything you were afraid of.

The Mail has assembled the above infographic to explain how the ISA system works, but it's fairly simple: Cars are outfitted with computers loaded with speed limit data for public roads, and monitored via satellite. In "Advisory" mode, the dash readout indicates if you need to slow down, and smiles at you if you do. In the hilariously named "Voluntary" mode, the computer will actually seize control of your throttle, letting off the gas until you ease back down to the speed limit.

You can't blame people for having a mid-scale privacy freakout over this one, but a few crucial factors keep it from being downright Orwellian: First, it's being deployed in London cabs, government cars and buses, so it's not being expressly imposed on private citizens; second, the system is local?as in, it reads its own GPS data to calculate speed and decides on a course of action without remote input?and has an override switch, which, based on my experiences with London cabbies, I suspect will get plenty of use. (And serve as a brilliant rant subject conversation piece).

But still, satellite speed control? That's worse than speed cameras. And the mere existence of this technology?not to mention the government's involvement in its development?certainly feels like a step in the wrong direction, even if this particular use is relatively benign. [Daily Mail]

http://gizmodo.com/5248753/london-t...racking-system-that-stops-speeding-from-space
 
As such a system doesn't send any data out to anybody, privacy is not an issue.

The real issue here is that once such systems are available, people will be forced to fit them into their cars - whether by law or by the insurance companies, that's not decided yet.
 
This was inevitable, I was wondering how long until they finally made it.

First step toward unified transport. First: control the speed at which people move, second: control where they move, then you can have them move faster to where they want. (Minority report?)

Still sucks, I'll have my accelerator attached thanks.
 
Ok, so what if you need an extra burst of power and speed to get out of a hazerdous situation? This may also be problematic for drivers who are used to being able to use the loud pedal in order to pass slower drivers, or beat a traffic light. They will be expecting more speed when instead, they get nothing, and then they have to immediately be on the brake: and that moment's hesitation may be enough to cause a serious accident.
 
A couple points to ponder.

First, this will not work on older cars that aren't full of electronics.

Second, what happens when you lose the GPS signal, does the car just refuse to move, or do you lose the nanny?
 
As long as use of such a system is completely voluntary and no information ever leaves the car, I'm fine with it being around, though I feel it is a step in the wrong direction. Keeps drivers from being more attentive to how they are driving which just makes the roads more dangerous.
 
I am so happy i don't have any electronics in my car this system could tamper with. A solid cable from the pedal to the carburettor.
 
I want a basic drivetrain as well. The only thing I want electronic is injection system and ABS (yes I know there are many arguments on both sides but it has not impeded me in any way and let me concentrate on turning rather than threshold braking AND turning in the wet, but it rarely activates when I drive normal).

The way the system is right now is not really a big deal as it is local to the car and 100% voluntary. It's also not very likely to be used in the US because our government makes entirely too much money off speeding tickets and unlike EU governments doesn't really care about our well being.
 
I am so happy i don't have any electronics in my car this system could tamper with. A solid cable from the pedal to the carburettor.

Indeed. Tech like that may make me drive a totally analog car for ever. Magneto + Carb FTW :D
 
Cobol74 said:
A Brilliant idea, along with chocolate teapots.

:D

Keeps drivers from being more attentive to how they are driving which just makes the roads more dangerous.

Sadly, it is true. I seriously doubt that this system will reduce accidents. It will encourage people to drive carelessly, which often is much worse than driving fast.

Clarkson is right when he says that speed never killed anybody.

And yes, sometimes old cars are better.

-----

BTW, are you sure it's not some kind of hoax?
 
I wonder if this system would be implemented on police and rescue vehicles as well..
 
2. OPERATED IN TWO MODES - VOLUNTARY AND ADVISORY - IT ALSO HAS AN OVERRIDE BUTTON TO SWITCH IT OFF ENTIRELY

Seems fine to me. Don't want it? Switch it off. Only want the displayed speed limit? Switch that on. Want the nanny? Switch it on or off.
 
override, FTW.

Although I must confess that the only thing that makes me obey the speed limit on large open roads - e.g. city highways is cruise control, so this GPS thing might be helpful in some cases. Also sometimes happens that you just don't know what kind of speed limit is allowed..
 
A couple points to ponder.

First, this will not work on older cars that aren't full of electronics.

Second, what happens when you lose the GPS signal, does the car just refuse to move, or do you lose the nanny?

This is also proposed in Britain, the country that invented cars with strange and killer electrical systems.

Friend of mine has an older XJS, and that thing kills GPS units. In fact, it kills anything that gets plugged into the cigarette lighter and we don't know why. It's not overvoltage or undervoltage as the voltage is fine. Must be something weird about how the power is relayed.
 
Holy shit that's unsafe. Sometimes you need to speed up, especially in some emergency situations, if you've got this on you can't. I can see accidents being caused because of this.

Yes, it would never be on in my car, but in the car where it IS turned on, they're going to cause accidents.
 
Welcome to our lovely little totalitarian state.

This may not seem bad, but it is one more unnecessary, unhelpful step towards complete control over our actions. Next step, this in private cars. Then removing the override button in "accident blackspots", then an extension of those zones. Each step seems small and relatively benign when you aren't looking at the overall picture.
 
Yeah, this'll be a good idea. People will just lap it up.

Nobody will disable it or replace it with a dummy circuit. Not a chance.
 
It will only be a short while before the "override button" is removed. A few years ago Cop cars had a gps system installed that you could overide, which they did, now there isn't an overide.
 
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