4 ms·

Soooo, let's see, try to see what is going on. I want to start with two standard pieces of advice, (1) always look for the hidden agenda and (2) follow the mon

Soooo, let's see, try to see what is going on. I want to start with two standard pieces of advice, (1) always look for the hidden agenda and (2) follow the money. Now let's see: First, as in this thread already, we know who put this "kill switch" stuff in the bill. In particular it is the MADD group maybe plus maybe some more activists. Second, now that the "kill switch" is in the bill, the MADD group is pleased. Soooo, some Members of Congress can expect some campaign contributions from MADD and their supporters. Since it will be some years before the bill works its way through the DoT, engineering, law suits, lobbying by car manufacturers, screaming from drivers who don't want the complexity, etc., the campaign contributions may continue for several years. Uh, each new feature on a car raises the purchase price and the cost of maintenance. Some of the features added to cars can break, fail, whatever and be left broken, but not this "kill switch"!!! If that darned thing gets sick, the car may become a 4500 pound boat anchor until the owner coughs up, maybe, $2500 for repairs!!! Car owners won't like that. Third, there can be a lot of pitfalls for that provision to pass before ALL new cars have that "kill switch". E.g., the provision was put into the bill quietly. Some years from now a provision to repeal or delay for 10 more years can be put into some bill just as quietly. If the kill switch starts to become real and angers a lot of voters and companies, then Congress can receive a lot of pressure, more than MADD can manage, to repeal the provision. Fourth, even if all new cars have the switch, some car manufacturer can, quietly, hint, hint, let out how to disconnect the switch and all its sensors. And there is a really big, responsive industry of small companies ready to help car owners who would want to disconnect the switch. Fifth, what the insurance companies care about is not what some sensor or computer in a car says but what insurance claims the driver has. E.g., the car insurance industry knows well that I've been driving for a log time and have never had an insurance claim of any kind. Sixth, if a car insurance company wants data from some log file accumulated by some computers in a car, then send them a log file -- "Get your clean log file right here, cheap, guaranteed, clean log files!!!" Net, it could be 10+ years before anyone who hates the idea of having the kill switch actually has to put up with the darned thing. Then 10+ years from now, MADD will have to dry their tears, have a group hug, and console themselves with the fact that they tried. Meanwhile, some Members of Congress will have gotten some campaign contributions, 10+ years worth! All this is a special case of what I've detected is a pattern in how Congress works: In one word, there's a lot of showmanship going on. There's a lot less real than meets the eye.

DeathArrow 5y ago
>Fourth, even if all new cars have the switch, some car manufacturer can, quietly, hint, hint, let out how to disconnect the switch and all its sensors. And there is a really big, responsive industry of small companies ready to help car owners who would want to disconnect the switch. They can make it a crime to disconnect the switch.
- graycat 5y ago
  I'm in the US: Who is going to enforce a law to have a working kill switch? Likely it will have to be only the states, not the Federal government. How many voters would be eager to have such a law enforced? Some states don't have auto inspection, and some states do but don't enforce it very strongly. E.g., a few years ago I had a car out of inspection for several years. By chance a Cop noticed and wrote me a ticket. I ignored the ticket but finally contacted the court. The court had me pay some administrative fee; I did, and the case was dismissed without my being found guilty. And I was not required to get an inspection. If a state has no auto inspection, then what state Governor would set up a group to enforce such a law? For several years now, a Federal law requires that new cars have anti-lock brakes. But if they fail, then no law is broken. Or: "Sorry, Sir. I bought this car used. It seems to be fine. I don't know anything about any kill switch. If it is disconnected or broken or some such, then some previous owner did that. Or maybe the switch failed on its own." Lesson: There's a lot of showmanship going on. There's a lot less real than meets the eye. This whole kill switch issue is now and long will be very much just an issue of politics, that is, regarded at least by the politicians, with the power, as just an issue of politics. By politics I mean fool people in ways that can make them happy at least for a while and, thus, get the politician votes. To be blunt, it appears to me that (1) Congress is perfectly willing to enact some law requiring a kill switch to please the MADD group and their supporters for 10 years or so. (2) No one in Congress really believes that a kill switch will be required in all new cars. Soooo, Congress is willing to play some such games. But lots of other people play games, too: Generally they try to scream that there is some problem and a big effort should be made to implement the solution they happen to have in mind. As in my "(1) always look for the hidden agenda and (2) follow the money.", the "hidden agenda" is to sell their solution and make for themselves the "money". E.g., my house has low flow plumbing. Bummer -- at the kitchen sink I have to plan ahead just to fill a pot with water. I don't live in a desert. Where I live we are awash in rain water 12 months a year -- we have no water shortage. To me these look like scams, and it seems that new scams arrive continually, say, like weeds. Some of the scams fail to catch on, but some do catch on, if only for a while. Then along come more scams, more claims of "Oh we got trouble, ...." Keep in mind that maybe such a scare is just a scam.

DeathArrow 5y ago

>Fourth, even if all new cars have the switch, some car manufacturer can, quietly, hint, hint, let out how to disconnect the switch and all its sensors. And there is a really big, responsive industry of small companies ready to help car owners who would want to disconnect the switch. They can make it a crime to disconnect the switch.

graycat 5y ago
I'm in the US: Who is going to enforce a law to have a working kill switch? Likely it will have to be only the states, not the Federal government. How many voters would be eager to have such a law enforced? Some states don't have auto inspection, and some states do but don't enforce it very strongly. E.g., a few years ago I had a car out of inspection for several years. By chance a Cop noticed and wrote me a ticket. I ignored the ticket but finally contacted the court. The court had me pay some administrative fee; I did, and the case was dismissed without my being found guilty. And I was not required to get an inspection. If a state has no auto inspection, then what state Governor would set up a group to enforce such a law? For several years now, a Federal law requires that new cars have anti-lock brakes. But if they fail, then no law is broken. Or: "Sorry, Sir. I bought this car used. It seems to be fine. I don't know anything about any kill switch. If it is disconnected or broken or some such, then some previous owner did that. Or maybe the switch failed on its own." Lesson: There's a lot of showmanship going on. There's a lot less real than meets the eye. This whole kill switch issue is now and long will be very much just an issue of politics, that is, regarded at least by the politicians, with the power, as just an issue of politics. By politics I mean fool people in ways that can make them happy at least for a while and, thus, get the politician votes. To be blunt, it appears to me that (1) Congress is perfectly willing to enact some law requiring a kill switch to please the MADD group and their supporters for 10 years or so. (2) No one in Congress really believes that a kill switch will be required in all new cars. Soooo, Congress is willing to play some such games. But lots of other people play games, too: Generally they try to scream that there is some problem and a big effort should be made to implement the solution they happen to have in mind. As in my "(1) always look for the hidden agenda and (2) follow the money.", the "hidden agenda" is to sell their solution and make for themselves the "money". E.g., my house has low flow plumbing. Bummer -- at the kitchen sink I have to plan ahead just to fill a pot with water. I don't live in a desert. Where I live we are awash in rain water 12 months a year -- we have no water shortage. To me these look like scams, and it seems that new scams arrive continually, say, like weeds. Some of the scams fail to catch on, but some do catch on, if only for a while. Then along come more scams, more claims of "Oh we got trouble, ...." Keep in mind that maybe such a scare is just a scam.