Just call it a Nanny Car – from Engadget:
Much as we’d like to emulate our NASCAR heroes, breaking the speed limit often comes at a price. Ford is hoping to prevent accidents and speeding tickets by introducing cars that can see what the speed limit is and preventing heavy-footed motorists from driving any faster. Ford’s Intelligent Speed Limiter tech will first appear on the new Ford S-Max that’s launching in Europe that could just change the way that we drive.
A camera mounted on the windshield scans the road signs on the sides of the highway and, when the vehicle enters a 20mph zone, the system reduces the top speed to match. Rather than controlling the speed with automatic braking, the car limits its own velocity by adjusting the amount of fuel being pushed to the engine.
If a burst of speed is required, however, users can either deactivate the system by pressing a button on the console or temporarily get past it with a hard press on the gas pedal. If the vehicle is coasting downhill and starts to build up speed, the car will sense its motion and sound an alarm to get you braking. It’s not the only bit of new safety tech available on the new whip, either, since deep-pocketed motorists can also get pedestrian detection and collision warnings. That frees drivers up to wonder why any car firm would call a car SMAX and think we wouldn’t notice.
Like most of the commenters at Engadget, I would NEVER want to buy this kind of car in which the car is making decisions for me. Look, already my government thinks I’m a child and not to be trusted to make the right decisions – but I have no legal choice in not paying my taxes. I do have the choice to not purchase (until Supreme Court Chief John Roberts decides I can be taxed, again, for not buying a product I don’t want) a vehicle from Ford that is set up to do the same thing – make “important” decisions for me like I was a moron.
This is like the logic used over lightbulbs when the Government overrode the Free Market and decreed “No incandescents for you! Here, buy these – they’ll save you money”. In other words, you WILL behave because we say it is good for you.
So, Ford has decided to do what Starbucks just did with their “Race Together” Nannyism -> “We are here to tell you what is GOOD for you and you WILL pay us for it”.
Look, I don’t need to pay for that “feature” that will save me money on motor vehicle tickets – speeding is why the Good Lord above created cruise control that *I* control. Look, if I WANT to speed, then I also accept the consequences of having to pay out my wallet to the locals for the infraction – I don’t need no car to make that for me. “Change the way that we drive” – no, it won’t because I won’t be driving – the car will be.
Look, as a techie, it’s kinda cool that this CAN be done – as a political blogger, I don’t think it is cool that some company wishes to FORCE this on me. If you think you can infantilize me and make me pay for it, I will pay to purchase your competitor’s product. Stop trying to take MY responsibility away from me. Besides, you’re gonna use Microsoft cloud tech for this?
Do you know what most system administrators say when software misbehaves on Microsoft servers (and I have to tell a lot of sys admins the same thing when they call in for help)?
REBOOT
Nice thing when your car might need a reboot at 70 mph in a 55 zone when conditions create a glitch…..
