Finally
- Thread starter mrblaine
- Start date
In a few years this conversation will look like people complaining about seat belts and air bags.
I still know people (in the 30's and 40's) who refuse to wear seat belts, because, "The gummint can't tell me what to do!" When I try to explain high school physics to them, they just blank out. Let's go, Darwin!
There was a system back in the 1970s for this. A little display on the dash flashed some numbers, 8 or 10 digits, IIRC. You had 15 seconds to enter them back into the keypad. Three errors in a row meant you had to wait 10 minutes to try again. There was massive outrage that Americans would allow such a device in their cars. Many don't remember, but at that time you could get 'drive-in' margaritas in TX!
I don't really care about motorcycles and off-road use; they mostly hurt themselves. We have a divided highway here that goes from the airport to downtown. At least once a month some drunk moron drives down the exit ramp, accelerates to 70 mph and crashes into some poor citizen who is just minding his own business and driving properly. They always die, but it seems there is an endless supply of these idiots smashing their 5,000 pound F-150s into innocent bystanders. I'm in favor of any system that will stop them.
BTW, I've lived in Iceland and Australia. People in those countries don't even consider driving after drinking; penalties are severe.
There was a system back in the 1970s for this. A little display on the dash flashed some numbers, 8 or 10 digits, IIRC. You had 15 seconds to enter them back into the keypad. Three errors in a row meant you had to wait 10 minutes to try again. There was massive outrage that Americans would allow such a device in their cars. Many don't remember, but at that time you could get 'drive-in' margaritas in TX!
I don't really care about motorcycles and off-road use; they mostly hurt themselves. We have a divided highway here that goes from the airport to downtown. At least once a month some drunk moron drives down the exit ramp, accelerates to 70 mph and crashes into some poor citizen who is just minding his own business and driving properly. They always die, but it seems there is an endless supply of these idiots smashing their 5,000 pound F-150s into innocent bystanders. I'm in favor of any system that will stop them.
BTW, I've lived in Iceland and Australia. People in those countries don't even consider driving after drinking; penalties are severe.
OP
And self responsibilty and individual liberty will be spoken of in the past tense.
Then let's make the penalties more severe here. The DUI attorneys that advertise everywhere are no better than ambulance chasers in my opinion. A DUI ends up being a slap on the wrist. I'm never going to support policy that punishes or costs law abiding citizens that act with the responsibility of a grown adult.
If everyone acted like a responsible adult, we wouldn't need most laws and the prisons wouldn't be full. Somewhere along the line, we lost the ability to teach children to take responsibility for their choices. Now it's everyone else's fault when something bad happens.
We had a county judge here for 20 years who had something like 15 DUI convictions. If you were a drunk, you wanted him. Most people who went before him with a DUI got a suspended sentence.
If people won't hold themselves accountable, then society must hold them responsible or pay the penalties.
According to MADD, an estimated 38,680 people died in automobile accidents in 2020. They estimate that over 9,400 drunk driving deaths could be saved using available tech. If they only killed themselves, I wouldn't mind that much; the problem is that they kill other people who did nothing to deserve dying. I'm willing to push some buttons to save the lives of those that killed by drunk idiots behind the wheel.
We had a county judge here for 20 years who had something like 15 DUI convictions. If you were a drunk, you wanted him. Most people who went before him with a DUI got a suspended sentence.
If people won't hold themselves accountable, then society must hold them responsible or pay the penalties.
According to MADD, an estimated 38,680 people died in automobile accidents in 2020. They estimate that over 9,400 drunk driving deaths could be saved using available tech. If they only killed themselves, I wouldn't mind that much; the problem is that they kill other people who did nothing to deserve dying. I'm willing to push some buttons to save the lives of those that killed by drunk idiots behind the wheel.
While I agree that only an idiot would drive without a seatbelt, I do NOT think it is the state's place to dictate it to me.
"Idiot" may be just a little too much when referring to some seatbeltless drivers. The idiot could be the father that spent more than a decade using seatbelts as a punishment to stop the sibling bickering.
That part is exactly how I feel about many things, but how long will it be until dictate and mandate become some kind of sexist terminology.
OP
Unacceptable mouks
TJ Enthusiast
If you think that only drunk drivers are targeted by these "new techs", please look at this:
https://www.carscoops.com/2021/07/m...ing-and-theyll-be-even-worse-than-we-thought/
Welcome in the new world where your government tells you how to think, how to behave, how to take care of your health, how to drive your car, and even drives it for you..
Take care of your TJs.. while gas is still legal
https://www.carscoops.com/2021/07/m...ing-and-theyll-be-even-worse-than-we-thought/
Welcome in the new world where your government tells you how to think, how to behave, how to take care of your health, how to drive your car, and even drives it for you..
Take care of your TJs.. while gas is still legal
OP
I find it beyond sad that we are so willing to give up our rights for safety. More rules and laws have been emotionally enacted under the guise of "think of the children" than should be legal.
The slippery slope that I've been poking fun at is very real. Sure, it isn't a big thing to fiddle with a few buttons to be able to drive your own vehicle paid for with your money to tolerate a system that doesn't affect you as the law abiding citizen. What you are fucking missing is what comes next. See that little slot right there, pop your driving license into it and press your thumb to the reader to make sure they match. Oh, they don't, not to worry, a cop will be along shortly to see what is going on and why you're trying to drive when your shit don't match.
That isn't nearly as far fetched as it sounds.
Its called "Ethics", and its something we as a society are severely lacking - while we argue about "morals" instead.
Unfortunately, Blaine is 110% correct. Its just the next step of the Socialist-Liberal cradle-to-grave Nanny State (tm). SafetyCrats get their hold because people are scared, and Americans are scared of everything. I could rant about this until the cows come home, but I'll spare everyone the pain (including myself).
"Its not SAA-AAA-AAA-AFE!!!" I saw this crap being promulgated in children's textbooks from the 1950s! Its *NOT* new, just further progressed.
Blaine I understand what you are saying and I appreciate it. Here's the difference between us and them, though. The people that need this tech because they are stupid or irresponsible will accept it, use it, and, hopefully, save some lives. Most people on this forum will see it for what it is, clip a few wires or change some code, and move on. I know that's what I will do.
(Clutch interlock, indeed!)
(Clutch interlock, indeed!)
OP
It should always be a sin to legislate morality.
Are you joking, I can't tell. The people that it's supposed to stop will be the first ones hacking it to get around the restrictions. Same as gun control. All the law abiding citizens will lose their guns while the criminals keep theirs.
The sad thing is, I would have called you a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist 4 years ago. Now, I'm in the same boat.