EU Driver Camera Mandatory

[chris]

The stocks news tells me this morning that all new cars made in EU will now be required to have a camera recording the driver, to cut down on ‘distracted driving,’ tracking the driver’s gaze, face, and head motion.
It will beep annoyingly after 3 secs at highway speeds and 6 secs at slow speeds.

It won’t be used to ID drivers or use biometrics, they say. Sure.

Currently has dismal reviews, causing more distraction than helping curb it.

Yet another piece of technocratic control grid anti human privacy invading nightmare.

Every New EU Car Now Has a Camera Watching the Driver's Face | the deep dive

[sharick]

Here in Brazil I recently rented a car, this time from a different company. The car was a late model VW equipped with automatic transmission and keyless entry. I tried to change cars for a manual transmission to no avail; it was the only one available. My frustration increased at the first traffic light where I learned it also had the Engine-Stop-Start “feature.”

Having this freak car for a week supplied me innumerable instances in which to vociferously complain about accelerator lag (associated with auto trans and ESS), poor speed control (when attemtping to use cruise control) as well as horrible touch controls for adjusting AC temp and fan. LOUSY engineering.

At some point I was driving in the city on a street with light traffic. Something caught my eye to the right and I tracked it for a moment, can’t say if it was even two seconds. Next thing I know the car decelerated into a rapid, pulsed stop. Definitely automated.

Even as I wrote this, expletives were the first adjectives that came to mind.

[chris]

Amen, brother.
The only experience I had with new cars was renting one in Portugal last Summer. I found a way to turn off the engine stop start crap. So that was good.
But I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the annoying beeping everytime it caught me speeding. Which was most of the time, cuz it’s the highway, man. I wasn’t unsafe and I always signalled. Plus, Portuguese highways are tollways and so generally not very crowded at all.

The one feature I found shocking at first but grew to say ‘okay’ in an ambivalent way was, driver lane assist. Not necessary but, interesting. I could turn that off also.

Also the backing up camera was a godsend in those tiny village streets, not wanting to have the car rental place find me scratching their baby.

Fewer things as stressful as driving a foreign strange sized car in a street made for human foot and donkey traffic with the walls on either side of your mirrors.

[sharick]

@chris

cuz it’s the highway, man.

Haha, indeed! One can definitely exceed the posted speed limit in a safe manner.

@chris

Fewer things as stressful as driving a foreign strange sized car in a street made for human foot and donkey traffic with the walls on either side of your mirrors

That one I have not experienced. Backup camera sounds mandatory alright.

Here in Brazil, speed cameras and speed bumps are very prevalent. The cameras are not hidden mind you; 90% of them have signage posted ahead of time, the intent is to slow traffic because of a hazard. But it makes driving a real drag compared to the U.S. I always rejoice what the 110km/hr signs appear but it seems to never last as the route typically gives way to 80km or worse, a speed bump. Stressful in different ways.

Italy had hidden cameras. I got two tickets for circulating in bus lanes right after I left the lot. Driving in foreign countries is quite the challenge, yes?

[chris]

It sure is! I think the worst part is actually the parking! LOL
When the hotel ‘lot’ (Spain) is a service basement with 3 giant concrete columns and painted lines to pretend anything can fit. And no lights unless the door opens.

[Robert_Barricklow]

AND, years from now?
You’ll look fondly back at that incident, in wonder…
AND yet; those were much better cars, than the Brazil of today!

Just give me a good old stick shift; with 4 on the floor…
AND a 5th under the seat!

In the book, Going Zero by Anthony McCarten, 2024; the plot revolves around a contest to escape the grid for a period of time[if I recall right, it’s a month].
Ten people vie for a spot to win a nillion dollars through a lottery selection process.

The first winner, gets in his electric car to escape to the mountains.
His car immediaterly locks him inside.
Then drives him immediately to the nearest police station.
One down, nine to go.

[ati]

What is the meaning of ‘automobile’? There you go! It it just trying to mold into the original intent. Automobiles come with autophotos now on.
On the other hand, the WV just erases 100,000 jobs in Deutschland, 4 or 5 factories close…

[sharick]

@Robert_Barricklow

Just give me a good old stick shift; with 4 on the floor…
AND a 5th under the seat!

So many young people would understand none of those three things, haha. Haven’t heard that in a while; made me chuckle.

Five-speeds are very common to own and rent here; definitely my choice when given an option. This time I needed unlimited mileage and had to tolerate the VW. On the good side, acceleration around the many trucks was great.

One of the very best cars I owned was an '09 Corolla XRS with factory 5-spd, performance suspension and the larger, 2.4L four. I commuted daily in the Bay Area with that baby and could pop it in and out of openings on a dime. (Please note that I did NOT weave across lanes, but I could thread the needle when it was safe to do so.) The engine offered immediate torque, which was precisely delivered to asphalt by proficient hand and feet; no throttle lag there.

That car proved the most fun of all my mature adult (ahem) vehicles.

[chris]

I am (still) driving my Toyota Corolla LE and it just turned 20 this summer! I call it Mr Honky and he is now in my opinion officially a senior citizen and doing super awesome. 220k miles
Just got a new stereo and 2 new speakers cuz the CD changer finally broke. Engine is never going to die knock on wood

[sharick]

@chris

When the hotel ‘lot’ (Spain) is a service basement with 3 giant concrete columns and painted lines to pretend anything can fit.

I’ve rented more than a dozen times in Central and South America with nary a scratch. Despite that success rate, I always got full coverage insurance. You know, one can actually forget those giant columns are there. When I returned the car, there was not one bit of hassle or extra cost.

@chris

220k miles
Just got a new stereo and 2 new speakers cuz the CD changer finally broke. Engine is never going to die knock on wood

Mine did 225K but was leaking oil badly. I did not change it regularly and the dirt increasingly ate up some seals. Sounds like Mr. Honky is on his way to 300+ thousand.
What a great era of car. Dash controls were simple and tactile. Three knobs and three buttons for temperature control; all could be reached and manipulated without looking away from the road.

Can’t do that with modern cars. Very frustrating when the windshield fogs up at night in traffic in a foreign country and one is fumbling (and cursing) at the dashboard.

[chris]

Yeah my new stereo is a kenwood, it has a nice volume knob that does menu and a function/source button the left so its pretty easy withoiut paying attention but the track/station buttons are too tiny. but at least its not a screen!
I get that car oil changes whenever it asks (remember the blinky?) so with my driving like about 3.5 times a year I reckon. fixed a lot of gaskets. it got a new steering pump recently. that took 2 tries to get it to stop leaking cuz of hose sizes but now its tight. i think i get a single drop of steering oil a few times a week but nothing serious. oil has a new pan and also got a new timing chain. anyway.
he gets a lot of work done ! cheaper than a new/used car payment!