Being tracked

[Kwacky]

I know we've discussed this before.

This morning I had a long chat with an expert we use for accident investigations and reconstructions. He's been to an annual conference and gave me a call to give me an update as it's an area we deal in.

The amount of information cars are carrying now is staggering. From what he tells me, they can clock your speeds, position, the gear engaged, when the doors were open and closed and your driving style. In the States this information is easy to get at, but here in Europe some makers are more difficult than others in spilling the beans, but they are starting to relax.

It's a good job our bikes don't have built in GPS and entertainment systems.

[Perkles]

A lot of sales guys I know are now having trackers fitted to company cars to track what youve been up to ,I wouldnt accept a job with one.The whole reason I love sales is the freedom it gives you
Big brother can go do one

[D41]

There's a 'black box' device available here for getting around this stuff.

Allegedly it fits right under the dash, and there's a few connectors to get it all hooked up and sending out some kind of false signal from one of 20 other cars or sommit. If I were to have a stepson who was into street-racing, he would probably have the false signal coming from his friend's car, once that imaginary friend's car was parked outside a place-of-work or something similar. He would prolly have me help him install it too.

Or so I've heard.

[T.C.]

I know we've discussed this before.

This morning I had a long chat with an expert we use for accident investigations and reconstructions. He's been to an annual conference and gave me a call to give me an update as it's an area we deal in.

Do you deal in personal injury claims?

[Kwacky]

I'm a critical injury and catastrophic defendant insurance lawyer by trade

[T.C.]

I'm a critical injury and catastrophic defendant insurance lawyer by trade

Ah, OK, so we work on opposite sides then

[Kwacky]

I always try to work with my opposite number

[duke63]

I know that with a couple of my clients who run small fleets of Company cars, the insurers insist on one or two of the drivers using a black box all the time due to their accident/speeding records. Doubt it will be many years before that filters down to all of us.

[StMarks]

I always try to work with my opposite number

Aka "to beat your enemy, you must know your enemy"

[D41]

This all reminds me of a case about a decade or more ago...think it was Chicago or Detroit area, if memory serves.

A 5 years-old boy was struck & killed by a car. The driver claimed to have been driving at or around the speed limit. A subsequent investigation of the data in the car's computer storage/memory revealed that the vehicle had been going some ridiculous speed instead.....75mph over the limit or something insane. The driver was sentenced for manslaughter or murder...think it was murder.

I think bottom line, if this data becomes easily accessible to the authorities in the UK...then probably nothing will happen except in order to bolster a prosecution case against a driver/rider...it's additional evidence. I can't see them using it to just hand out citations arbitrarily....bikers represent a very small fraction of the motoring public...it doesn't seem very cost-effective to go after the little fish, when there's bigger fish to fry on that side of The Pond.

[Deegee]

Interesting thread, fwiw I'm on a tracker on my company vehicle, initially I viewed it exactly the same as Perkles - it's intrusive and it essentially says that your employer doesn't trust you.

However, a few years back one of the sales reps at my previous company was on a sales call and pulled over feeling unwell, he subsequently had a heart attack, he failed to make the appointment and was reported missing that night by his Wife, our company didn't know where he was and had no way of finding him, he was found still alive but unconscious by Police late that night, he's still alive afaik, but not the man he was. The company then reviewed our "lone working" guidelines and subsequently fitted trackers on the grounds of duty of care, understandably it got mixed receptions from different people.

That was all about 7 yrs ago and I've since changed companies and lived with trackers for a long time, my views have changed on them as well. These days I take the view that yes if I fall ill at work I can be found, if I am accused of speeding - I don't btw, I can get proof of my actual speed, similarly if my reg number is cloned I can prove where I was easily, there are a lot of good things a tracker can do, but and its the but, it depends on the people and the company you work for, are they watching your progress every minute of the day and pestering you with calls and trying to micro-manage you via the tracker? Or are they complaining that you're not speeding and want that extra pip from you work-wise?

Trackers are just a tool, it's the people that can view that info that matter, I would not work for mistrustful and oppressive people and tbh they are the only ones that will abuse a tracker, fwiw one of my customers watches his trackers like a hawk and has started paying on the tracker - he's losing people steadily, but cannot see why. It's always going to be the people not the device in my humble opinion.

[Kwacky]

I don't see the problem using them on commercial vehicles. I've had a case where a council tried to pass a nasty claim on to my client as they said the work wasn't done. The tracker information showed it was.

Likewise we defended a trucker involved in a multiple fatal. Facing charges including causing death by dangerous driving we disclosed the tracking information which backed up his defence that his driving was impeccable. He was acquitted on all counts.

[Perkles]

I like having a day time nap when I stop at the services so still a no from me

[D41]

DeeGee touched on something else there.....I know there's been at least one case where the police used a tracker to disable a vehicle containing a kidnapper and his victim, a small child. I forget the circumstances, but seem to remember it was over some sort of child-custody case.

I know that I paid to have a tracker, a 'Lo-Jack', installed in my truck....I lose my truck, I lose my livelihood...at least a good portion of it.
It was expensive....around $600 if I recall. One of the additional benefits was that by having it fitted, I qualified for lower insurance rates....so it really was a no-brainer...pay the ins., or pay for the tracker...either way you pay.