At some point in our lifetimes, somebody decided that legislation proposed in congress must weigh at least 50 pounds, printed; Porkulus, omnibus, in nomine patris et fili et spiritus sancti. Amen. Hidden, like the Holy Spirit, are hordes of provisions or rules that go un advertises. Like a mandate to put kill switches in every new vehicle sold in America.
According to an article written by former U.S. Representative Bob Barr, hidden away in the recently passed infrastructure bill, the very one I warned before would negatively impact drivers across the country if it were to pass, is a measure to install vehicle kill switches into every new car, truck, and SUV sold in this country. The regulation likely won’t be enforced for five years, so maybe there’s time to do something about this.
Law enforcement would have the ability to shut your vehicle down at their convenience. And maybe that doesn’t bother you. You abide by the law. You enjoyed speeding during COVID, but you are usually only a few miles per hour over the posted limit. You use the turn signals, stay between the lines, and have no plans to rob banks or succumb to road rage. What’s the big deal?
It gets even better: Barr points out that the bill, which has been signed into law by President Biden, states that the kill switch, which is referred to as a safety device, must “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.” In other words, Big Brother will constantly be monitoring how you drive. If you do something the system has been programmed to recognize as driver impairment, your car could just shut off, which could be incredibly dangerous.
How do you feel about that? Different? Do you want to reach out to your state rep and find out if that’s even legal in your state?
I have not done so yet, but one individual with whom I shared the article suggested that this might be an interstate commerce sort of thing and that there wasn’t much the locals could do, but I disagree.
Yes, the vehicles were made in another state or nation and sold here, that’s interstate commerce, but I rarely leave the state; hence no interstate anything. I have a right to privacy enshrined in the NH state constitution.
[Art.] 2-b. [Right of Privacy.] An individual’s right to live free from governmental intrusion in private or personal information is natural, essential, and inherent.
December 5, 2018
Is my vehicle calling the cops on me, or will this infringement be automated and internal? In other words, is my new theoretical 2028 Biden Pulse two door three cylinder EV (that’s all they sell now) going to strand me in the middle of nowhere at night ( in the rain) becasue I had to swerve multiple times to avoid hitting some deer whose standing weight is greater than that the car?
If a kill switch feature includes an AI that “passively monitor9s) the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired,” does the AI get a pass becasue it’s not technically the government invading my privacy? Not yet.
These are not questions of passing fancy or some new conspiracy theory. Rep. Barr says the kill switch is real, and the reporting suggests we’ve got time to address the implication or repeal it in other legislation. And, of course, there’s the potential for legal challenges but not without standing; by then, they are standard equipment.
What’s the next step?
Learn more, and reach out to some folks while we still have time.
And yes, I realize everyone with a smartphone is already being tracked, and by all accounts, the government has unlimited access to this without your knowledge, but you can put your phone in a faraday cage to stop that.
