injdinjn

http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=101136

Very interesting article on new vehicle data recorders and onstar.

You are not going to like it.

RTFC

Good article Tom.

I think the easiest way around it is to simply recalibrate the speedo gears in the VSS to make the car read 60mph when you are doing 120. Just simply double your currant speedo reading and thats what you are really doing down the highway, Yet, the black box is reading you tooling around town driving like a little old lady. Anyone tries to use the info in court and it inconclusive because the system was not calibrated properly and can be proven inaccurate.

BretD 88GTA

Well, the only up-point at this time is that OnStar is currently a "subscriber only" feature. How long that will last, who knows after reading that article.

I have OnStar on my truck, but I have not subscribed to the service. So, I don't have an account and don't get to use all the bells and whistles it offers. HOWEVER, it is still active and in the event of an emergency I don't doubt I couldn't use it to call for help.

Makes you wonder. How soon till we're no longer manually driving our cars and are simply passengers traveling in an automated shuttle.

JulieGTA

Isn't that called mass transit? Like that'll ever happen.


At least they tell you when the car has Onstar.

I wonder why there isn't more public outcry against those black boxes. Come on, doesn't that violate somebody's rights?

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

im sure the NAACP or the ACLU will cry as soon as a famous rapper gets in trouble in the car with it...

Guest

ACLU is already crying. Not that I mind... but I dont care for their agenda.

BretD 88GTA

Actually I was thinking along the lines of the stuff you see in the futuristic films like "I Robot" or even "Demolition Man". Everyone still owns their own personal vehicle, it just runs/drives on it's own.

"I Robot" was a pretty weak film, but I got kick out of the other characters reactions when Will Smith's character actually drove his car on "manual" — "What were you doing driving yourself, that's too dangerous!".

If it weren't for the fact that some political idiot out there is probably trying to push just such and idea, it would be hilarious.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

That would work, so long as the system didn't have a GPS included.

Lon

BretD 88GTA

Which it probably does. OnStar can determine your location as well as track your vehicle, so it must use GPS information.

That's one of the features I like about it. It works similar to LoJack in the event the vehicle gets stolen.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

I knew of the George Orwellian features of OnStar. This is why I prefer LoJAck. As mentioned in the article, it's tracking features is only active in the event that the vehicle is stolen. If I get the Avalanche, I'll choose not to have OnStar turned on and will buy a LoJack again instead.

Lon

RTFC

I would never purchase Onstar. I was refering to the onboard "Black Boxes" built into the cars computer management system. you can't diable the recording features, but you can uncalibrate them so you can not self incriminate.