What if...? (question one)

This is the first in, hopefully, a series of questions, that I have pondered over the previous weeks and months.

Questions, that I am going to 'throw into the mix' here, to see what other new angles people come up with.



Question 1) Are the governments of the world setting up a spy network to monitor how often we use our vehicles, how far we drive them, and when?


To provide a bit of background to this question, I noticed (whilst on holiday in the United States of America) that one of the local roads is being repaved. The section of road in question is at a junction with traffic lights, covering a crossroads.
The road that has been resurfaced has had some 'detection grids' installed into the ground, to detect when a car is sitting at the traffic lights, and thus change the timing of the lights, and allow the flow of traffic to be controlled more properly.
However, the computer control box, by the side of the road, is massive! It is far bigger than would be required to house a simple control mechanism. Certainly big enough to house a server computer, monitor, and cooling units. Not to mention a transformer for power, and internet connection.
The idea I came up with whilst walking past this 'detection grid' in the road, was that it could be used as a transceiver in the ground. Being used to pick up the signals from the 'black boxes' now being installed in cars (often without our knowledge), and could relay this information back to some draconian, and government run, data centre. This information would be processed by who knows how many 'security' agencies, for whatever purposes they liked. It would only be a matter of time before insurance companies acquired said information, and this could cause huge problems for those of us that like a little speed now and then, etc.
Given the fact that many governments are introducing ever more oppresive laws in our respective societies, it would not take a great leap in logic to have the impression that these would be another tool in the 'fight against [insert issues here]'.
I asked the workmen installing these units about the system and it seems overly complex for running a simple four-way traffic light system.
My curiosity was initially aroused, because similar systems have been installed in the town I live in back in the United Kingdom. UK residents might notice these, by looking for a black rubber/plastic grid on the approach to traffic lights. However, according to the construction workers I spoke to here in the USA, these grids will not be noticable when the final layer of road is laid.

So, what do you all think?




Edited for a typographical error.

[edit on 8-9-2008 by dampnickers]

Any car made after 2002 has a "black box" in it. There was a case here in the US where a drunk driver hit another car with a woman and her child in it. The victims didn't make it. When they went to trial, they were able to tell how fast he was going and when the last time he used his breaks by this contraption in the engine. Heres an article on what I am talking about

www.foxnews.com...

reply to post by KaginD


I was aware that most cars from 2002 have had black boxes installed, but was not aware that one had actually been used to bring someone to trial as yet. Thanks for sharing that link. Most informative.
It does make me wonder, just who thought of putting these things in cars in the first place, and why. Especially, given the fact, that most if not all car manufacturers are installing them.

Who owns the patent on these things... who makes them, etc.?

It is certainly a curious world we live in.