New technology, good or bad?
By cripfemme
@cripfemme (7698)
United States
February 11, 2009 12:47pm CST
On the Discovery Science Channel, I was watching a show about new technologies. One of them is a device on new cars that allows the police to stop the car if the car has been reported as being involved in a serious crime; kidnapping, rape, murder, and so on. On the case I saw described someone saw a kidnapper push a little girl in a car and they were too old to do something about it but they called the police who stopped the car and rescued the little girl. I'm sure everyone agrees that that's a good thing in that case.
But there is another side which people might not be thinking of. What is to stop the police from stopping cars for no reason or because they don't like the politics of the people who are in the car? For example, if there was going to be a march on DC the police could just stop every car going in until they could screen them. I know it sounds far fetched but as an activist I have to think of these things. Also, if you stop a car while it is driving down a highway with other people you could hurt them.
But being as I am disabled and would have no way to interfere with a big, muscle bound man who was trying injure someone, I kind of like the idea of this technology. At least I would know I could call the police and they would do something immediately. As far as immediacy goes, I have no other recourse except to drive my chair in front of the departing criminal and hope he doesn't run me over to get the police a few extra minutes to get there. This technology seems like a safer option.
I can see good and bad points to this technology, what do you think?
3 responses
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
11 Feb 09
Many years ago, while my husband and I were away on vacation, someone stole our car and used it in a violent crime. We were arrested at the airport, and it took a couple of hours to prove that we weren't involved at all. They pursued and found the criminals,partly using the evidence found in our car. It was inconvenient, and at first we were angry that they wasted time with us instead of going after whoever stole our car. If they could have stopped the car during or immediately after the murder, it would have been better, even though the outcome was OK. I think there are ways to avoid improper use, such as automatically recording the events as they do with so may officer-involved situations these days. We'll see refinements to the technology quite soon, I'm sure.
@cripfemme (7698)
• United States
12 Feb 09
Oh, my God... I'm so sorry this happened to you. Your car was used in a murder. I think I would've had to buy a new car.
1 person likes this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
12 Feb 09
We traded it in for a new one as soon as the police released it.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
13 Feb 09
I would imagine that there would be a record generated each time the police used this divice to stop a car so they would be unlikely to stop someone for little or no reason. Too many lawyers would be thrilled to sue. I think it's good technology mostly because it would do away with the need for high speed chases on the highways which put innocent people at risk.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
11 Feb 09
I think that it could be worse than being stopped by the police doing it. I am sure that this could get into the wrong hands. I would hate to think of someone else getting control of my car.
