Wednesday 21st September 2005

One Step Closer to Black Boxes

ABD critical of Govt's plans for monitoring cars

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The DfT announced yesterday that they are considering fitting black boxes in cars to determine the causes of accidents. They are also investigating ways to use these devices to externally control vehicle speeds by physically preventing them breaking speed limits or automatically issuing tickets if they do so.

"This announcement continues their flawed and dangerous "one-size-fits-all" approach to road safety," said the ABD's road safety spokesman Mark McArthur-Christie. "The DfT talk about using black boxes to investigate the causes of accidents, but seem to have decided in advance that crashes can be cured by simply sticking to the speed limit. We are very concerned that the "accident investigation" angle could be a ruse to bring in automated speed controls."

According to the ABD, existing police data shows that 95% of accidents are unrelated to breaking speed limits, and that the remaining 5% involve extreme behaviour (drunk, drugged or unqualified drivers way in excess of the speed limit) and other vital factors.

"The facts don't support mass, automated enforcement of inappropriate speed limits," continued McArthur-Christie, "But the Government had committed itself to this strategy based on false premises and is ignoring the truth about road safety. External speed control doesn't prevent poor lane discipline, poor observation, driving too close, inattention, tiredness, reckless, poorly judged manoeuvres or excess speed for the conditions. These are the real killers, and the more the Government try to turn us into remote controlled passengers and try to drive our cars for us, the less concentration we will apply to the task of driving and the less opportunity we will have to develop vital safe driving skills."

"A safe driver is one who can use his own judgement to determine what is a safe speed for the conditions," concludes Senior IAM observer and RoSPA-qualified driver and motorcyclist McArthur-Christie. "Government policy is doing nothing but undermine that in any number of ways. We cannot believe they will be foolish and cowardly enough to repeat the same mistakes with black boxes that they have with current camera technology."

Links

• www.abd.org.uk

 

[wab172uk]

I don't know why the government keep saying this. They know & we know it'll never happen. One major factor will be that to start with, they would have to be fitted to new cars. Why buy a new car if it has a black box? So no new cars will be sold. Manufacturers know this so they will refuse to fit them. The government may well quote "it's the law" but if every manufacturer refused then what alternative have the government? Let us all run around in de-restricted old cars that won't meet the ever new emission rules? NO. Just think of the Billion's in lost VAT through no new car sales.

[busa_rush]

I doubt you'd get anybody to manufacture them either as they're likely to be the most unreliable bits of electronics in history . . .

Unless they offer something in return . . . some kind of carrot that Mr and Mrs Numptie can't refuse, like the possibility of cheap insurance . . . a possibility that will never actually materialise.

[streaky]

busa_rush said:

I doubt you'd get anybody to manufacture them either as they're likely to be the most unreliable bits of electronics in history.

That hasn't stopped HMG giving ever increasing amounts of our cash to US computer forms and Big Four consultancies for computer systems that don't work, and sinking ever increasing sums from our pockets in military technology from our European 'partners' that is inferior to the US products and vastly more expensive. Oh, and of course, there was Rover ... - Streaky

[busa_rush]

You're quite right but I didn't mean they would really be unreliable, just the ones fitted to my car and probably your car too

[gh0st]

Dont forget that there are enough feckwits in the UK to allow this to happen

The fact Labour are still government proves this point...

[justinp1]

gh0st said:

Dont forget that there are enough feckwits in the UK to allow this to happen The fact Labour are still government proves this point...

Sadly true. As long as the quality of life on the section of the country on hand outs continues to increase they will always get the 40% of the votes needed to be re-elected. Along with that comes the licence to stealth tax the working population and small businesses. Joy.

[Jay GTi]

gh0st said:

The fact Labour are still government proves this point...

No that just proves that even in Labour's darkest hour, there's still no viable alternative (not that that is where my protest vote went).

[gh0st]

Jay GTi said:

gh0st said: The fact Labour are still government proves this point... No that just proves that even in Labour's darkest hour, there's still no viable alternative (not that that is where my protest vote went).

Also true