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US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

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41–49 of 49 posts

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#41
post #8
post #3

Is this the first legally mandated user-hostile feature? Will it be the last?

This seems to be in the same category as seatbelts

What on earth are you talking about? Seatbelts are FULLY OPTIONAL. Not LEGALLY, but functionally. If your seatbelt malfunctions somehow, you can still drive. If the "infrared cameras" that are constantly watching you and totally not sharing that data with anyone glitch out (and see our old friend the Kinect for how likely that is), you're fucked.

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#42

It seems that both the government and corporations agree that everything you own should spy on you constantly.

"You will own nothing" etc etc. Welcome to dystopia. I'm so glad a bunch of brilliant minds spent a half century creating magical miracle technology so corporations and government could use it to fully enslave us. At this point maybe we were better off dying of polio in the 40s.

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#43
post #7
post #5

Another reason for the price of new cars to have to be increased by the manufacturer

But cheaper overall if it works well. Insurance costs, etc. go down, not to mention the lives saved.

Being an inmate saves a lot of money too. 100% savings!

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#44
post #32
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No and no. The car industry has learned that they can increase profits by making legislators mandate things in the name of safety and security. See tire pressure monitoring for example.

> See tire pressure monitoring for example. I am not sure I understand what you are saying. I appreciate knowing when my tire pressure is low.

I don't appreciate being forced to pay for a feature I don't need. The modern car is FULL of such features, and it's caused the price to skyrocket. The median price for a new car in 1968, adjusted for inflation, was roughly $25,000. Pre-Covid, the median price was something like $36,000. All while wages stagnate or fall accounting for inflation. Stop driving up the price with all this stupid unnecessary crap!

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#46
post #26

The way to stop drunk driving is to make driving OPTIONAL. Without adequate pedestrian and cycling facilities, people are forced to use public transit and cars to get to bars and restaurants. Make public transit intermittent, unreliable and dirty then stop service well before bars let out? Now there is ONLY cars as an option. Ride share has helped but it is much more expensive and is almost as much as the bar tab. No…

To add insult to injury, sometime establishments tow cars left overnight. That happened to me. I took an Uber home, left the car in the bar's parking lot, and in the morning, the car was gone.

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#47
post #30

I imagine the moment these start being implemented there will be a bunch of how-to guides on the internet for ripping out the sensors and rewiring the connectors to perpetually give a "sober" reading.

I'd expect that doing so would result in a serious upgrade to the charges if one is later arrested for drunk driving in that car, leading to a great increase in the probability of significant jail time.

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#48
post #47
post #30

I imagine the moment these start being implemented there will be a bunch of how-to guides on the internet for ripping out the sensors and rewiring the connectors to perpetually give a "sober" reading.

I'd expect that doing so would result in a serious upgrade to the charges if one is later arrested for drunk driving in that car, leading to a great increase in the probability of significant jail time.

Seems like the easy solution there is to not drive drunk.

Re: US infrastructure bill includes law that aims to end drunk driving

#49
post #26

The way to stop drunk driving is to make driving OPTIONAL. Without adequate pedestrian and cycling facilities, people are forced to use public transit and cars to get to bars and restaurants. Make public transit intermittent, unreliable and dirty then stop service well before bars let out? Now there is ONLY cars as an option. Ride share has helped but it is much more expensive and is almost as much as the bar tab. No…

The way to stop drunk driving is for local prosecutors to indict drunk drivers in accidents for attempted homicide, and for local juries to then convict. Word will get around fast.

I'm always suspicious of any solution that involves expanding police powers and fines. This creates a conflict of interest where police and cities oppose anything that stops the stream of DUI fines and impound revenue. In addition it grants powers to the police that can be abused to stop and harass the innocent. Austin Texas alone is raking in over 60 million in fines each year.

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/86R/fiscalnotes/pdf/HB0204...

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