OT but relevant
 

So it appears that progressive insurance is launching a campaign in minnesota to reward customers who submit to their big-brotherly intentions.

The deal is that for a discount of between 5% and 25% (depending on the private information they pull on you), you agree to have a black box installed on your car, that measures how often you drive, as well as how far!!!! and how fast!!!!!!!!!!

This type of thing blows my mind. Being a private person and a huge detractor of big government/organizations/intrusions on my life, I cannot fathom how someone could see this as acceptable.

I guess I can't regulate what other people allow in their cars, and as long as I have the ability to pull these orwellian systems out of MY car I don't have a lot to worry about, but it just seems like society took another step down.

Sorry to rant. But I figured this would be a receptive audience.

HAHAHAHAHAH, I don't think I could ever have this system in my car, I'd have to stop driving.

Of course, this isn't that much different than having an ez tag. The ez tag doesn't work everywhere, and it doesn't track speed the way a gps would, but if your city has one of those maps that shows the speed of traffic during rush hour and you have an ez tag then they are tracking you all over town.

I live in Minnesota and this is news to me. Of course, I don't use "progressive" and maybe they're only offering this to their current customers, but I would think they'd have a current advertising campaign offering this "discount". However, like you, I would not be interested in any "black boxes" in my car.

Jerry M
'78 SC

What about the little foil envelope they give you in which to store the ezpass? I thought that blocked the kryptonite rays from big brother.

You are wearing your foil hats aren't you?

(they have those satellites up there...)


Wayne

It's more of a test phase right now, concurrent with the government stating that all new cars should have these little pieces of ..... brilliance.

I think some cars already have black boxes that can be utilized to analyse accident data. Corvette may be one of them.

USA Today article, Money section. Monday, August 9, 2004, device will plug into OBD port of 1996 and newer vehicles.

Those with the so called "ON-STAR" system carry it around and don't even know it.

I'm reviewing a device called a CarChip that plugs into OBDII ports (my Porsche doesn't have one). It records 300 hours of speed, rpm, engine load, coolant temp, g-loading, etc... with readings taken every 5 seconds. It downloads to a home computer via serial cable. It really is quite amazing.

The last 30 seconds of data are collect in 1 second intervals. If you crash, they can download that for analysis.

Great tool to put on your teenagers car. It is so small, they'd never notice it!

Price is about $100-150, depending on how much memory you want.

Did you see the sopranos where tony got a new cadillac, and told the guy "yeah, it'll be great once I pull out all that onstar crap."... I couldn't have said it better. If I buy a new car that's the first mod that's happening.

Hmmm.. isn't "Progressive" what the Soviets (and/or their apologists) called a lot of their policies? :D

JP

So I assume that if it's good to stick on your teen-agers car, you wouldn't mind your insurance company sticking in your car?

Hey... apparently some cars already have some kind of system like this.

-MAS

Never.

Teenagers have very little/no rights. I don't want my kid killing your wife or children, so I'll gladly let him/her know "Big Brother" (or in this case Big Daddy) is watching so keep their speeds down.

When they hit 18 (and I don't lose my house over their stupid moves), the chip comes off.