If you have Democrats in your congressional delegation, get one thing straight. They are not representing you in DC. They are representing DC. The Swamp comes before constituents. So, garbage like this will appear magically from dumpster dives like the infrastructure bill, which has a car kill switch provision.
Buried deep within the massive infrastructure legislation recently signed by President Joe Biden is a little-noticed “safety” measure that will take effect in five years. Marketed to Congress as a benign tool to help prevent drunk driving, the measure will mandate that automobile manufacturers build into every car what amounts to a “vehicle kill switch.”
This has been talked about for years. The core principle is to embed a device in every vehicle that allows law enforcement (or some other authority) the ability to kill it, shut it down, so they can then question, detain, or arrest the driver. The version in the Infrastructure dumpster dive is not so clear. It says the device will “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.”
Congress will equip your new vehicle with an always-on monitor that will sense when it needs to stop your vehicle.
Should we expect this to ride side-saddle (or is shotgun a better description) with self-driving technology? Will the passively surveilling transportation monitor at some point be able to lock you in and drive you wherever the authorities want you?
Can we imagine that being the case?
We can also imagine that it can be hacked, and some third party could do the same thing.
We have until 2024 to replace the Democrats with Republicans that will unwind and unbind all the garbage in this and other legislation. Notice I said, “Republicans that will.”
If I read the reporting correctly, this will become standard in all new vehicles starting in 2026.
