What I need to know is, am I going to have any trouble hotting my rod?
And the law is a maybe-
A federal law requiring impairment-detection devices inside all new cars survived a recent push to strip its funding but remains stalled by questions about whether the technology is ready.
Right.
This is what the camera in my car sees. The back seat is down.
The car uses the camera to make sure the driver is supervising when Full Self Driving (supervised) is enabled. In my experience there have been very few mistaken warnings about not paying attention.
I am able to check over my shoulder when FSD indicates it will change lanes, scan the mirrors, and even manipulate things on the touch screen without receiving a warning. It works with sunglasses, and usually works at night. When I tested it by tilting my head down, but keeping my eyes forward, it did give a warning, but not instantly, because it’s not meant to.
I expect the same camera and algorithm would work to measure driver attentiveness when FSD is not in use, just tune the grace period from 30 seconds to 3 seconds or whatever.
There is additional biometric surveillance of the driver in the seat weight detector, and the seatbelt. If the seatbelt is unlatched while driving, or the weight comes off the driver seat, the car will get very upset and make lots of noises.
My Subaru Forrester gives me a lane alert every time I drive on one road where they patched a long crack parallel in the middle of the lane. It’s a squiggly line a bit darker than the rest of the road surface.
You shouldn’t do that in public, it frightens the horses.
What article(s) are you using for your source?
That’s interesting. Either the IR cameras can “see” through sunglasses or it’s actually tracking micro-head movements moreso than what your eyeballs are doing.
Pretty sure that IR cameras see through the glasses. That’s my understanding of how FaceID on my iPhone works.
Face ID relies on infrared (IR) light to map your face. While most sunglasses allow IR light through, highly reflective or heavily polarized lenses block it. To bypass this, you can turn off “Require Attention” in your settings, though this slightly lowers device security.
I have a friend who has a problem with falling asleep while he drives. He intentionally sought the “driver alert” feature, and seems happy with it. I forget what car he drives, but it’s not a Tesla.
Our two Hyundai Ionics have the drowsy drive feature. Also lane following; mild once over 35mph, a bit more aggressive on mapped major roads using the native navigation. And you get an audible chime and note if the car ahead of you at a stop sign or light has moved and you haven’t followed after a couple of seconds. Kind of a polite, “Put your damn phone down and drive” warning.
I’m real fond of that one. Both for me and for the fool in front of me at the light.
I find it annoying when I’m in bumper to bumper traffic, and don’t want to “block the box”, and it nags me to move. Which is most of the time it chimes. But i guess it’s okay.
How about “is there a way to disable all means to track or remotely shut down my car”?
Because my gross mistrust of the US Businessman is reaching epic levels.
Even if it is trivial to do that, the problem seems to be, what good will it do you if you subsequently cannot get insurance? Can’t drive on California roads without insurance.
Let’s even say you can get insurance but you lose the substantial discount that being able to prove your safe driving allows: how much are you willing to pay each year based on your “gross mistrust of the US Businessman”? Three hundred dollars, a thousand, more?
There is. Rip out every computer.
Now try getting the car to run.
Dont forget to leave off the license plate and leave your phone at home.
Don’t drive past any cameras either.
I recently saw a video of an up and coming service aftermarket car stereo installers are getting into: removing the cellular modems modern cars sometimes have. I have no idea how widespread they are, though Teslas are famous for having them, but especially Chinese electric cars apparently are equipped with them. As well as other brands. People are afraid that their car is reporting in real time back to the manufacturer about their location and driving habits. The aftermarket removal of the modems is problematic, the video warned that it might brick the car.
Every car made today has cellular connectivity built in these days. Or so close to every so as to not matter.
- General Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac): Uses the OnStar system, which comes with built-in 4G LTE/5G connectivity backed primarily by AT&T.
- Ford & Lincoln: Uses FordPass Connect (or Lincoln Connect), equipping their modern lineups (like the F-150 and Explorer) with built-in modems.
- Toyota & Lexus: Uses Toyota Remote Connect and Safety Connect, which operate using built-in modems that often partner with Verizon.
- Stellantis (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram): Uses the Uconnect system, which relies on embedded modems to power both vehicle telematics and in-car Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Honda & Acura: Features HondaLink and AcuraLink, which utilize built-in cellular connections for emergency response and remote vehicle tracking.
- Subaru: Utilizes the STARLINK system via built-in cellular connections for roadside assistance and remote commands.
- Tesla: Every Tesla is equipped with a built-in cellular modem (and a SIM card) to handle navigation, streaming, and software updates.
- BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi: Known for highly connected systems (like BMW iDrive or Mercedes MBUX) that rely on 5G/4G embedded modems for real-time traffic, concierge services, and digital key integrations.
The simpler option, if you don’t want your car to track you, is to buy a decades-old car; one built before such technology was standard. Of course, you’ve probably got a computer tracking your location in your pocket.
'Zactly. And cameras all up and down many (most?) urban/suburban streets.
You want privacy? Stay home, offline, and behind shuttered windows & locked doors. Seeking it elsewhere or otherwise is a fool’s errand.
I wish it was not so. But that cat is waaay too far out of the bag for anyone to capture it & stuff it back in the bag.