GPS Used to Track Teens' Driving

[jayfish]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041209/D86SASC80.html

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BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) - Retired Gen. Tommy Franks has signed on to be the spokesman for a company that uses global positioning system technology in teens' cell phones to let parents know how fast they're driving.

Franks will be the official face of Teen Arrive Alive. The organization aims to get teens to carry a cell phone containing a GPS chip that sends out regular signals letting parents know where they are and how fast they're going.
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Big Brother on the lurch again. How long before schools/state gov. require kids to have these devices? Once the 16-18yo demographic is sewn up it won't be long until the rest of the driving public will need one too. Tommy will be able to lobby Congress to give his little co. anything they want. After-all there aren't enough 16-18yo out there to turn a decent dime.

Jay

[snooper2]

1. I guess you just

leave the cell phone at home :)

[toopers]

2. Car makers are starting to put "black boxes" on everyone's car.

It will measure spead, acceleration et al. Big Brother is already here!

[kysrsoze]

3. As the father of a daughter who will be driving in a couple of years...

I'm not sure this is such a bad idea. My neice has been getting into a lot of trouble lately for taking off and going places she shouldn't be with people she isn't allowed to hang out with.

Of course I would want it to be VOLUNTARY ONLY.

[sweetheart]

4. I'd much rather have a speed governor

As a parent, i'd much rather be able to turn on speed-governing on
the in-car GPS computer, that knows the speed limit of every street
on which the teenagers will be driving.

The whole mechanism of criminalizing people for not keeping a readout
dashboard display in aggreement with the foot pedal and the local
signage is pre-technology. It should be impossible, given a well
designed car, to break the laws, so that we can put police effort on
to something useful.