A Push for a Universal Ignition Interlock Mandate

People never listen. That’s a fact of life. No matter how many times you advocate that drunk driving is not good, at the end of the day you are just labeled a nuisance. What’s the solution to prevent all these alcohol-related road accidents then? Simple. Special Breathalyzers.

In the Los Angeles Times, Ken Bensinger wrote: For more than 20 years, special breathalyzers — hard-wired to a car’s ignition to prevent the vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected — have been installed under judicial order in the cars of repeat, or especially egregious, alcohol offenders. But in the past few years, six states have passed laws that require the devices, called ignition interlocks, in the cars of everyone convicted of driving under the influence.

Now, several more states, including California, are considering making interlocks mandatory for all offenders. And a group of automakers has launched a major project with the federal government to develop advanced technologies that could someday make alcohol detectors a standard feature in all cars.

Advocates of interlocks, particularly Mothers Against Drunk Driving, say the devices could reduce the nation’s estimated 17,000 annual alcohol-related automotive fatalities and thereby ease the burden that drunken driving places on the nation’s criminal justice system.

Critics say that it is not that effective. I say let’s give it a try.

Source: LJWorld

Drunk Driving: Not as fun as “Just Drinking”

Alcohol and cars don’t mix. Nothing good ever comes out of drinking and then driving. However, adults and teens alike still find reasons to do it. I wouldn’t say it’s fun, because I’ve been on that road once. It was, for me, a matter of necessity. I happen to have had a couple of drinks with a friend. I had to come home and didn’t have time to sober up. Luckily I was alert enough to get home in one piece.

However, hundreds of teens are not as lucky as I am. The number of deaths attributed to drunk driving has alarmingly increased over the past years. We may not be able to monitor our kids all the time, but we can talk and listen to them. During the recent 2008 Lifesavers Conference, participants tackled this issue and they came up with a number of tips for every concerned parent. It’s not foolproof, but it’s worth a shot.

• Lecturing doesn’t work. Teens have heard all the sermons before.
• Keep the messages positive. Point out how mutual respect works in everyone’s self-interest.
• Teach your kids to listen by listening to what they have to say.
• Set a good example. If you don’t buckle up, why would they? If they see you drinking and driving, they’ll think it’s OK.
• Look at your own drinking habits. What do they say about you?
• Talk and listen positively and persistently. Don’t throw in the towel.
• Read between the lines. Some things are hard to say directly.
• Try to understand the teen’s world.
• Praise your kids for doing little things, the sort of things you might think are taken for granted.
• Lighten up. Let there be humor, whenever possible.
• If you’re looking for a solution to a behavior issue, ask the teens what they think should be done.
• Use logic and love.
• Talk about results as the consequence of decisions rather than actions. Good decisions get good results.
• Give teens the power to make decisions. That way, teens can feel they’re taking control of their own lives, acting responsibly because they want to.
• Don’t be afraid to say no or set boundaries.
  

It’ll be years before I have that kind of talk with my son, but surely when the time comes I’ll never put off following all those pieces of advice.

Source: Consumer Reports; Lifesavers

OnStar Technology: In Hot Pursuit of Criminals

Telematics. In-Car Advertisements. Infotainment System. These are all available with the OnStar technology. Just when you think things can no longer get any better, OnStar pulled another one from up its sleeve – a tool that will help police officers catch criminals who are running away on a stolen vehicle, or any vehicle that has the OnStar system on it. It’s projected to be released by the end of the year, and is expected to be fully-functional by the start of next year.

Val Clifton reports for the Houston Community Newspapers: Aimed at reducing car thefts and the high speed chases they can incur, OnStar has developed a device that can remotely decrease the speed of stolen vehicles.

The Stolen Vehicle Slowdown technology is an enhancement to OnStar’s existing Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance, which aids in more than 6,000 vehicle theft cases each year.

Emergency Service Line Manager Cathy McCormick said the SVS feature, which will be available later this year, was announced last October.

“For 2009, depending on the model, it will be a part of the “Safe and Sound” package, so it won’t be any additional cost for the customers,” McCormick said. “OnStar expects 1.6 million vehicles will be equipped with the technology next year.”

OnStar has been working with police for more than a decade, she said, sometimes as often as 700 times a month.

“The beauty of this particular technology is that it will allow them to get within view of the vehicle without the thief even knowing it,” McCormick said. “The tool can be used before a high speed pursuit can even be contemplated.”

Once OnStar has identified the vehicle’s location using its Global Positioning Satellite technology, it will work with police officers on the ground to confirm they have the correct vehicle in their sight.

OnStar can flash the lights of the car so that the officer can verify they are following the correct car. Once police have confirmed the scene is safe for a slowdown, the OnStar advisor can initiate one.

SVS can only be activated if the subscriber has filed a stolen vehicle report, and the police have a direct line of sight on the vehicle in question and have confirmed with OnStar that conditions are safe to activate a slowdown.

“It slows the vehicle, but the braking and steering will still work,” McCormick said. “The thieves will just think they are experiencing a mechanical malfunction.”

In 2007, more than 31,000 vehicle thefts occurred in Houston, according to OnStar data. Across the country, that figure numbers closer to 1.2 million with many thefts resulting in one of the 30,000 high-speed chases that occur yearly.

The National Traffic Safety Administration reports that these chases result in 12,000 incidents of property damage, 7,500 injuries and 300 fatalities each year.

Harris County Sheriff’s Lt. John Legg said that OnStar has been of assistance to law enforcement and that the department welcomes any tool that will aid them in dealing with auto thefts.

“It would appear that this new technology would be beneficial by way of preventing high speed pursuits for those vehicles in which this technology has been installed,” Legg said. “It does seem like it’s a promising advancement.”

If this pushes through, we’ll see less and less car thefts and police pursuits. Although it is pretty alarming how fast these technologies that allow other people to “mess” with our car is cropping up. I’ve recently heard about in-car advertisements and how advertisers can monitor your every move. It’s quite scary. But if for it’s a good reason, then I’m up for it. I wonder what OnStar can come up with next.

In-Car Advertising

How would you feel about advertisements in your car? Pretty irritating, right? That’s also what I thought when I first heard about the concept. I’ve tried so hard to keep my name off telemarketers’ lists. I even called up the Do Not Call (DNC) ministry (if that’s indeed what it’s called) and had my name placed on the DNC list. I change channels whenever a commercial is on. And besides what use is 250 channels if I don’t browse all of them during a commercial break, right? I hate advertisements. But I had a change of heart about in-car advertising when I heard the upsides to it.

Here’s the deal. Automakers pack a lot of stuff into our cars, some of which are General Motors’ OnStar and Ford’s SYNC system. But then again are we amenable to paying a monthly fee for them? With the rising cost of gasoline, I highly doubt it. But now because of in-car advertisements, which are already rumored to be in the offing, we no longer have to pay a monthly fee, or we’ll have to pay just a smaller amount. Why? It’s because companies will sponsor these technologies so they will be given rights to broadcast their products while you are on the go. That does not sound bad, right?

The Detroit Free Press reports that, “Getting people to pay for a monthly subscription -- General Motors Corp.'s OnStar starts at $18.95 a month -- or even a flat fee -- Ford Motor Co.'s Sync costs $395 -- is a hurdle that can be lowered by allowing advertisers to sponsor services or parts of the technology. That could mean drivers can download online movies for the kids in the minivan courtesy of Netflix, book oil-change appointments courtesy of Pennzoil, or handle that outstanding recall on their air bags courtesy of the Detroit Medical Center. "It's something that can speed up" the digital revolution in the car, explained Antonino Damiano, product line manager for Magneti Marelli, an Italian company with local offices in Farmington Hills and Troy. That firm has taken on a leadership role in this global revolution. "Ad-supported is the way this can go mass-market," explained Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association in Arlington, Va. In the next few years, for example, Kolde says most new vehicles could have navigation systems that are almost entirely supported through advertising listings tied to the map. Advertisers would pay for premier placement in the map listings that come up when a driver is searching for a nearby coffee shop or a pharmacy.

But just like all things, this also has its disadvantages. Advertisers can keep tabs on where you’ve been, where you’re going and what you’re about to do. Paul Stephens, a spokesman for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego, related to the Free Press that, "We're being tracked in more ways than you can imagine," he said. "There are some people that are going to be extremely sensitive to this sort of tracking. There are others that will find it desirable, especially if there's some sort of inducement." But then again, "If it's managed right, it's a big opportunity," he said.

It’s a thinker, actually. I haven’t yet made up my mind about it. It’s great to have discounts on in-car technologies and to be informed where the next gasoline station or fastfood is, but do I really want that kind of invasion of privacy in my car? I’m sensitive when it comes to my home phone ringing all the time because companies want me to change telephone, satellite and internet services. But this is something. A little assurance from the automakers and advertisers won’t hurt.