Future Black Boxes for Cars

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Hell Driver
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Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by Hell Driver » 11 Apr 2015 12:04 am

I was talking to one of our neighbours tonight, they have a new car (mini). Apparently new cars come with a sting in the tail. In the handbook there is a warning that the car records information about your driving which might be used in evidence against you (maybe after an accident for example I assume).

I'm not at all surprised, as they are so heavily computerised now and I have seen this coming as others on here may have too. Many maybe already know about this, but this leads to the question of older cars. Maybe just news hype scaremongering but unfortunatley probably not in the long term:

Did a bit of googling, and apart from the cars own electrics I found this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/pers ... years.html

No wonder Clarkson doesn't give a sh*t. Apart from the fact he's alresdy loaded, the writting is on the wall for cars drivers and he can see the route we are headed down. Before long pre digital cars will be virtually unusable unless you can afford the cost penalties. We'll be forced to use self driving cars in urban areas and old cars will be banned from cities/towns. All you do and where you go will be recorded by your car as well as your phone, in fact it will probably be your phone that calls the police to inform them that you have just violated a minor traffic/parking law, or even that your tire has just broken friction with the tarmac!

Hopefully I'm exaggerating.
Last edited by Hell Driver on 11 Apr 2015 08:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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bogbasic
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Re: Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by bogbasic » 11 Apr 2015 01:54 pm

Hello sir, I'm assuming you're not suffering from a 10 day time-lag, but my view is that when you see the way some people drive (and me too sometimes) its probably a good thing.... Certainly when cars automatically obey speed limits will be a better day.... But then I would say that as a 340 driver wouldn't I?? ;-=
1988 340 1.4 GL, 218k, 5 door (Grey Bess). Gone to CBA.
1991 340 1.7 GL, 64k, 5 door, petrol blue (Deep Blue).
1988 360 2.0 GLE, 140k, 5 door, ocean blue metallic (Blue Bess).
1989 340 1.7 GL, 108k, 3 door (Red Ness).
More info here!

Ride_on
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Re: Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by Ride_on » 12 Apr 2015 02:38 am

I think air bag electronics already log data just before deployment.

Some companies are offering reductions for limiting acceleration and cornering speeds on younger drivers, but there is no evidence it can be used to determine/enforce good driving from experienced people. A camera is useful to determine blame after an accident.
1980 345 DL_______1987 360 GLE (project car restored to GLT spec and B230FT'd)
1984 360 GLT______1987 360 GLT
1983 360 GLS______1989 360 GLE
1985 340 GL_______1986 340 1.4
1985 360 GLS______1995 940 SE 2.3 Turbo Estate (daily)
1987 340 GL 1.7

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Hell Driver
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Re: Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by Hell Driver » 12 Apr 2015 09:17 pm

Ride_on wrote: A camera is useful to determine blame after an accident.
I use one in the transit, yes they are very useful, I had a woman drive into the side of my transit a few months ago. Very low speed incident and she only bounced off my rear wheel but she tried to blame me for the damage to her bumper. Footage was only striaght ahead but it shows my driving and position on the road (she claims I swerved into her but in actual fact she crept over the give way line as I passed). Still waiting over 6 months now for the result, my company are backing me up so far with footage and a still I took, fingers crossed!

The main thing is, I have contol of my footage and it does nothing but help me if I need it. If it had been my fault, as is the case with any such minor incident, it would be one persons word against the other. In a serious accident then the police could I think seize footage and in any case, their investigations are very thorough anyway.

My point is not that we want to do things we shouldn't on the road and get away with it, it's mainly that black box devices will ultimately allow more money to be extracted from use and more controls be put on us.
360 GLE Saloon (D 86)
360 GLS (A 84)
343 DL (W 80) :-)
340 GL 1.7 (G 89)
360 GLS (Y 83)
440 Turbo (J 92)
Transit Tipper 125 T350 (02)Alive Again!
Transit Tipper Smiley face Q reg
Mitsubishi Colt 1.1 (54)
R.I.P. 77 343 DL vario :-(

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bogbasic
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Re: Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by bogbasic » 13 Apr 2015 09:40 am

Re: I think air bag electronics already log data just
before deployment.

Mine certainly do.

sm4 sm4 sm4 sm4
1988 340 1.4 GL, 218k, 5 door (Grey Bess). Gone to CBA.
1991 340 1.7 GL, 64k, 5 door, petrol blue (Deep Blue).
1988 360 2.0 GLE, 140k, 5 door, ocean blue metallic (Blue Bess).
1989 340 1.7 GL, 108k, 3 door (Red Ness).
More info here!

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bogbasic
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Re: Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by bogbasic » 14 Apr 2015 11:54 am

Nobody even gets my jokes on here anymore.... they're like pearls unto swine....
1988 340 1.4 GL, 218k, 5 door (Grey Bess). Gone to CBA.
1991 340 1.7 GL, 64k, 5 door, petrol blue (Deep Blue).
1988 360 2.0 GLE, 140k, 5 door, ocean blue metallic (Blue Bess).
1989 340 1.7 GL, 108k, 3 door (Red Ness).
More info here!

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Re: Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by V6 Man » 14 Apr 2015 08:32 pm

Young drivers are already stuffed.

My son, who is 17, cannot realistically get insurance unless he uses one of the 'black box policies'. £1950 a year (for a 15yr old V40 1.6) with a Black Box policy versus £4200+ for a non BB policy and it's obvious which route he is going to choose. What's even better is that should he decide to change to a non BB policy in years to come when he has both age and a NCB on his side he'll have to pay to have the BB removed from his car! Of course, they'll no longer be monitoring it (so they say), but if he wants it taken out he has to pay an admin charge for its removal. Such a shame, then, that I know where it is and how it's wired...........

What's potentially more frightening, is that most BB insurance companies won't touch cars over 15 years old (hence why the original plan for him to have a 300 didn't come to fruition) and now give extra discounts to cars where they can plug their box directly into the OBD port. He has a mate with a mk5 Golf who has had to ring his insurance company for permission to unplug the BB so that his garage can plug in their diagnostics to find out why his car has broken down. The insurance companies claim this is so they can more easily fit he BB's and thus keep costs down, but it does give them access to all data stored like throttle openings, brake effort, cornering angles (via the traction control) etc.

If this is the current system for all under 21's how long before it's for the under 25's, then the under 30's, and then for all?
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Hell Driver
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Re: Future Black Boxes for Cars

Post by Hell Driver » 16 Apr 2015 12:16 am

This is how things creep up on us. The younger ones accept what they find when they arrive at a situation, the middle aged begin to realise that they are being ripped off after a few decades and the older ones know this but that it's too late to change things!

A good exapmle of this is the contstant dumbing down of the roads to cope with the least able to drive/park.

For over 10 years, I've been parking (sensibly) near a chip shop and corner shop in Ranskill (Small Village in Lincs.). Yes, dillons did sometimes park stupidly too near the crossroads and cause a bit of a tight squeeze or blockage but to be fair this was a minor road and things soon moved out of the way. Now the area is strewn with double yellow lines. As my usual spot was now out of bounds and a new single yellow line further down stopped parking during the day I had to park (beyond them, legally) on the main road. This is near a traffic lighted junction and where I had to park I narrowed the road down and caused far more obstrction and to more and faster traffic than where I used to park.

I'm sure we all see constant tinkering around with the roads, another sodding roundabout here, another traffic island there (usually placed next to a bus stop....f*cking idiots), a new set of unnessarry traffic lights etc.

I really think that just as cars have advanced* massively over the last 10 years, road and traffic contols will now do so due to mobile data technology and information transfer.

No, I don't want to break the law and get away with it, but I also don't want some faceless bureaucrat in the local council/government/Europe deciding that:

a) my car is now too old and should banned from towns if not totally illegal.

b) although it's a nice hot sunny day, my number plate ends in an odd number so I won't be going to the seaside today (in that car anyway :wink: ).

c) Jack will probably never be able to get insurance in 7 years time and do some of my deliveries for me!!!!!!!!!



*By advanced I mean, the advancement towards increasing the contol exerted by the big companies over us and where our money goes.
360 GLE Saloon (D 86)
360 GLS (A 84)
343 DL (W 80) :-)
340 GL 1.7 (G 89)
360 GLS (Y 83)
440 Turbo (J 92)
Transit Tipper 125 T350 (02)Alive Again!
Transit Tipper Smiley face Q reg
Mitsubishi Colt 1.1 (54)
R.I.P. 77 343 DL vario :-(

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