More from the pending Big Government. Seems George Orwell was a tad early but clearly onto something. A Senate bill titled “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” aka MAP-21, has already passed and is expected to pass in the House as well. This bill will require car manufacturers to install a black box, or event data recorder, in every vehicle manufactured in 2015 and beyond. We already have multiple ECM’s that record fault codes, trigger the idiot light, and even let you (and your dealer) know when maintenance is required. Yesterday my phone told me that the left rear tire on my truck was getting low. Kinda cool but a bit scary. Made me wonder if my number was flashing red on a screen somewhere as I accelerated past 80 mph to clear a dump truck spitting gravel on the interstate before he made it to the next bridge joint and endangered my life with a gallon of projectiles. Was I breaking the law? Clearly. Were there extenuating circumstances that in my judgement made the move necessary? Yes. Do I need the government’s permission to act in a responsible manner where my own safety is concerned? No thank you.
Although the text of legislation states that such data would remain the property of the owner of the vehicle, the government would have the power to access it in a number of circumstances, including by court order, if the owner consents to make it available, and pursuant to an investigation or inspection conducted by the Secretary of Transportation.
I don’t need or want a nanny-state.
(H/T to Kit for the find!)
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