This morning, Frank Williams blogged the AP's report on OnStar's new "Stolen Vehicle Slowdown" (SVS) option. Tick the appropriate box on your OnStar service agreement and the company can legally shut down your engine via remote– should a scrote steal your car. Big Borther issue aside, fair enough. And then I saw the Detroit Free Press' take: "New GM system should curb police chase deaths and injuries." According to the Freep, "With more than 30,000 police chases each year resulting in 300 fatalities and about 7,500 injuries, this unique use of the OnStar technology is being hailed by a wide variety of law enforcement and emergency response organizations." Needless to say, this "wide variety" was represented by a single law enforcement officer. "Once it becomes widespread, about 600 vehicles trying to elude police will be slowed by the system each year." Oh really? Talk about sloppy, doe-eyed, parrot-beaked journalism. The truth is that stolen vehicle chases account for a small percentage of police chases, police cause the majority of police chase deaths, and that the only way to curtail the carnage is to change police chase policy– as many departments have done. Nice try OnsStar. Must try harder Freep.
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Empirically, there is pretty strong evidence that China and Japan are and have historically propped up exchange rates. Demonizing this practice, however, is ludicrous, and attempting to force our notions of “fair” monetary policy on sovereign governments borders the absurd.
I just have a really bad feeling about on-star. On-star is making its way into vehicles by using the premise that a person needs this to feel safe, it is helpful in an accident. The problem I have is that danger that this system has, it is only a matter of time before they start tracking our every move and charging us by the miles that we drive. I for one do not want to be penalized because I enjoy driving. At what point does law enforcement have the right to use this tracking system against us? How many rights do we have to loose before America wakes up?
I think its funny that people think this stuff is new for 2007.
The truth is that stolen vehicle chases account for a small percentage of police chases, police cause the majority of police chase deaths, and that the only way to curtail the carnage is to change police chase policy– as many departments have done.
No, the people who run from the police cause police chase deaths. If the chase policy needs to change, it is due to the runners, not the police.
TexasAg03 :
Without arguing semantics, I suggest you pop on over to pursuitwatch.org for a look at the issue of “unnecessary” police chases, and their devastating effect on innocent civilians.
TexasAg03, normally I agree with you, but here, not so much. Thats like saying we shouldn’t blame Hitler for the Holocaust, we should blame is parrents for having him. My dad was a cop (Boston and then Detroit) for quite a long time before and even a bit after, I was born, and even he said he hated getting into high speed chases. Most of the time they would just let the people go, it wasn’t worth it to go after someone and put a whole bunch of people at risk just to catch that one person.
He also said he hated because sooner or later, the state troopers in Detrot would go flying by leaning out all the windows trying to drive and shoot out the tires on the SOB at the same time, and that was just somwhere you didn’t want to be.
How much does a broad cost these days ? Hiyoooo !!
Many thanks,
Listener # 4
With respect to ‘Black Box’ data (called Event Data Recorders), here in Ontario- the Ontario Provincial Police routinely download EDR data with court orders, typically in crashes involving death or serious injury.
You don’t always ‘own’ your EDR data…
With respect to OnStar and privacy, their ‘privacy’ policy spells it all out on their website at:
http://www.onstar.com/canada_english/jsp/privacy_policy.jsp
They collect a lot of data… And you can only currently opt out of the marketing uses of the data…
Without arguing semantics, I suggest you pop on over to pursuitwatch.org for a look at the issue of “unnecessary” police chases, and their devastating effect on innocent civilians.
I didn’t say there is no need for change, just blame the right people. I agree that there should be better, stricter policies in place to govern chases.
Thats like saying we shouldn’t blame Hitler for the Holocaust, we should blame is parrents for having him.
No, that’s like saying we should blame the Allies for the death and destruction caused by Hitler. Hitler is responsible for his actions, not the people trying to stop him.
Thank goodness its not up to you what I do on the job. I chase everything that runs from me while I am in uniform. I hope every person that i chase crashes and dies. its unfortunate when someone innocent gets in the way though. I guess its like getting caught in the crossfire of a war.