High-speed chase ends when OnStar halts stolen SUV

High-speed chase ends when OnStar halts stolen SUV

finance.yahoo.com

DETROIT (AP) -- When two Visalia, Calif., police officers swung their cruisers behind a sport utility vehicle that had been carjacked at gunpoint early Sunday, they prepared for a dangerous high-speed chase.

The 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe roared away with officers in pursuit, but shortly after the suspect made a right turn, operators at General Motors Co.'s OnStar service sent a command that electronically disabled the gas pedal and the SUV gradually came to a halt.

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This is both awesome and terrifying. I think its great that this could be used to stop car theft, but it could easily find itself being abused by authorities.

A person who missed a car note could find themselves unable to drive. The same could be applied to liscense plates, inspection stickers, driver's liscenses and car insurance. Don't have any of that current and people could find themselves unable to drive.

People may find traffic systems in the coming years working along side systems like this, where the traffic system informs the car that you have committed a traffic violation and shuts the car down. It could easily turn into a nightmare.

finance.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Electronic readers that can actually verify the speed limit and send you real time speeding tickets? What a hoot huh?

I also saw the commercial for a car about automatic braking, and thought it could be used as a way to disable a car. You just toss something out and the car stops......Great for muggings and carjackings.

I find this frightening if you haven't guessed.

reply to post by MikeboydUS


Could be used in a very useful way, catching hit and run drivers, drink drivers, or just bringing dangerous pursuits to a halt.

But I don't like the fact that they could do that to anyone pretty much, this is why I say stick with older cars, more reliable, cheaper to run, and everything doesn't cost an arm an a leg to get fixed.

New cars are too reliant on computer technology, computers crash..

There is a thing they have, that some car dealerships use, for those who are on payments, it attaches somewhere, and cannot be removed. If a payment is missed, the car immediately shuts down. Thus ending the fight against repos

But it gives you a warning up to five days before the payment.

And some street lights, are or are going to be watching and taking license plates and checking for insurance, and if you don't have insurance, you'll receive a ticket in the mail.

With this on the front of it

Well, it's probably something that can be removed with a little ingenuity. At all you Engineers out there. But if it reaches the point to where the governments shutting you down at every little mishap/misdeed, we've let it go too far anyways.

reply to post by Republican08

And some street lights, are or are going to be watching and taking license plates and checking for insurance, and if you don't have insurance, you'll receive a ticket in the mail.

We already have a system like this in the UK, it's called ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) and this system is being tied in with every one of the 4.2 million cctv cameras in Britain, not only that but every registration that is read and plotted, the records are held for 10 YEARS!!!

Now in the UK you need your Licence (obviously), Tax disk, Mot and Insurance, without any of these items you'll find yourself in court with points on your license (12 points and it's a six month ban) and a fine.

So how are criminals getting away with running dodgy motors, easy, they don't register the vehicle when purchased and when they do purchase the vehicle they give a false name and address to the seller.

Big brother is watching but it is the everyday motorist who is being hammered because they are law abiding and register everything properly so if the day comes round where they slip up a bit, Wham, they are pegged.


Linky to manufacturers

[edit on 20-10-2009 by yeebsy]

I don't really see it as frightening, you don't have to drive, plus I don't think this onstar will ever be in any other car line except GM. Now if the government makes this a requirement for all cars, that would be frightening.

double post

[edit on 20-10-2009 by EmperorZeno]

reply to post by yeebsy


We actually have that system here in the US mainly in big cities. Only a meter maid just drives around the city until the computer spots a vehicle and boom. Either a boot gets put on it for tickets or it gets towed if the vehicle registration or insurance is bad. I am sure it will be updated soon.

Anywhere our gov can make money. Tax when their born, tax em in between, tax em when they die.

I have similar units installed in my vehicles as i guess many out there have. I am able to disable the vehicle from any part of the world via gps, its actually very good and i do believe this should be installed in every vehicle.

Yea, it is scary. So far though, only the owner of the vehicle can call and authorize that shutdown (I have OnStar). It's really helpful for diagnostics and opening car doors without paying for a locksmith.

Much like everything though, if there is a way to exploit it, the government WILL find it.

What I'm worried most about is that ALL vehicles after 2000 (Maybe earlier) have recording devices embedded in their computers. They store information like speed, G-force when turning and braking etc. Now the scary part: Eventually, the insurance companies want to collect this information to charge "reckless" drivers more, and avoid pay outs on collisions. Of course you don't have to worry about older cars though, unless you traded them in during "Cash for Clunkers"

More like "Cash for Anonymity"

C for C is a much larger conspiracy than what we give it credit for.

[edit on 20-10-2009 by midnightbrigade]

I just sold my 07' Silverado which obviously had on star. Personally I didn't like the technology being at any given moment they can listen in on conversations and track your where abouts. Not that this is a big deal as I'm a law abiding American. If I was ever to get in to politics or if our government was ever to cross that line and things needed to be done about and I became active in that fight, the truck would be the last tool anyone would want to use or do work in.

I also remember my early on in my 2nd year(first year on star was free) of owning the truck. I'd be driving along and listening to my radio and the radio would just quit. Then On Star would chime in and try to sell me the service. Really rubbed me the wrong way and made me realize my above paragraph.

If I had to bet I'd bet that this technology was a real incentive for the Feds when they bought GMC and Chrysler. I'm sure they are all over the possibilities that can come from it.

[edit on 20-10-2009 by Tyr Sog]

On-Star. For your own protection.

What happens if you become an enemy of the State?

Could you run from a tyrannical government using your own car?

Wat would have happened if they stopped the vehicle as it powers down the freeway at speed? or the motorway here in the UK? Your travelling at speed and then all of a sudden the vehicle in front of you loses speed and slows down? if your not careful and slam into the back of him then what? or if the perp tries to pull onto the hard shoulder and takes out a family car doing the proper speed?

Who gets sued? the car compnay who triggered the onboard device? or the perp who was driving?
I tell you one thing it won't be the perp or the police and the car company will pass the buck saying " we were asked by the authorities".

You know the criminals don't care about anyone else , they just want to get away.

This is one reason I drive Fords that don't have this.

First they use "onstar" to spy on what you say.

Now they use it to give tickets and disable the car without your permission.

GM really DOES stand for government motors.



[edit on 10/20/2009 by mrmonsoon]

"black boxes" has been in cars over 10 years now , most electronicly build cars have them ,

but Onstar need hardware of its own to work ,

probbobly just wifi/grps/gps and some fancy software around it all ,

and you dont need Onstar to gps track your car if its been stolen, but i do agree that its almost as if the car industry "forsaw" this some how cause now days its all electronicly handled stearing , gas, brakes , you name it..

just sad and sickening to be honest when you think about it , the frame for autopilot cars are there yet we are given the illution we are the one behind the wheel.

reply to post by EmperorZeno


That is just it. It is voluntary. Not only that, they can track you.

BUT, they can also track you through cell phones, even when they are turned off.

And new car models have black boxes, like in planes. That can be looked into if it comes to a serious incidence.

Its this the final deal?, common people under what rock you have been hiding, in America we are not longer the masters of our destiny, the government is the masters of our lives and they will run our lives in every intimate aspect you can believe exist.

Get ready, this is what apathy has brought us.

reply to post by MikeboydUS


I know what you mean MikeboydUS.

The War on Terror...Stealing The US Constitution...Privacy Is The Last Refuge Of Revolution...

I was writing on this stuff over two years ago about the potential for it being used against us citizens, because any fool knows that technology that can open your doors, can lock them too, any technology that can start your vehicle, can disable it too.