School’s back in session, and that means more yellow buses on neighborhood streets and more congestion during the morning rush hours. It also means that kids with big backpacks will walk through neighborhoods and standing along streets waiting for their buses to arrive. Be extra careful and allow yourself some extra time the next couple of weeks. Rushing to get to work or to get kids to school can be a disaster.
Last week, I wrote about the black boxes, or EDRs, that are in an increasing number of cars and trucks and how — and by whom — that information might be used for things other than making cars safer. I see this as a cautionary tale of the potential loss of personal freedom. Because of that, I was a bit taken aback by the number of e-mails I received like this one from Ralph from the Partnership for Safe Driving: “So you’reOK with Giant and Safeway knowing everything about your buying habits but upset that the police might be able to accurately determine the cause of a crash you or a loved one were involved in. Amazing. As DOT reported a couple days ago, traffic deaths last year surpassed 43,000, the highest total since 1990. How many more would have to die before safety would trump the bogus privacy issue that you cite?”
First of all, there’s a big difference between the EDRs and Giant knowing I like Nathan’s hot dogs more than Oscar Meyer or that I prefer lemon-lime shaving cream over menthol. Besides, I have a choice to give the stores my information in the first place. Most vehicle owners don’t know these black boxes exist or what they can do. In a world where we continue to lose personal freedoms in the name of safety or national security, the more people know and the more decisions they can make about them, the better. Technology can be a good thing, and if only the manufacturers had access to the information contained in these black boxes there wouldn’t be much reason for concern.
Mark had an interesting take that if insurance companies had access to the information then rates might be lower for those who don’t drive much or who are chronically safe drivers.
Robert wrote: “You argue against EDRs in part because manufacturers managed to make cars for 80 years without them. They also managed to make cars without seat belts for 60 years — does this mean seat belts are a bad idea? Thanks for your column — I enjoy it, and usually agree with you.”
Questions, comments, random musings? Write to [email protected].
