new twist on old topic

[bssage]

I think it was a State Farm insurance comercial. It looks like they can equip your car with a cab facing camera (a video camera that faces the occupiants) shows a video of four girls stopping at a intersection. For thier new "Teen drivers" insurance

Does that cross the line??

[fallon]

I like it! I think at first it would be really helpful to see how your new drivers are behaving behind the wheel. Could save lives

[bssage]

I think at first glance it looks OK. But they are looking at doing this for the train crews. The thing we are more concerned about is we spend a lot of time there and have a lot of conversations which are intended to pass time. lots of gossip dirty jokes ect. The occasonial nose pick ect.

Who really wants to be video recorded singing to the radio, venting when mom and dad make you mad.

Also I would expect the insurance company to use this as a tool to deny claims as anything. Or as law enforcement aid (lets see if you were talking on the phone)

So I guess while I agree with you conceptually. I dont literaly. It would be to easy for big brother to say "lets look at the tape"

I think I am pretty well behaved at this point of my life. And I still dont want to have my every move or word recorded. My car is my safe place.

[fallon]

hmmmm...I guess I thought only the parents could see it. I agree with your points though

[IADad]

agree, the closest call I had was when I had put my phone on speaker to talk with DW semi safe while driving. Well she didn't answer so I left a voicemail, then flipped the phone shut, forgetting that when in speakerphone mode, flipping it shut does NOT diconnect the call. I proceeded to drive and spotted a young lady, who I can only describe (here) as nearly perfect specimen of the female human species, and I actually made an out loud exclamation about it, then realized then heard my wife's voiemail announce that I was nearing the end of my allotted message time......oops.

Luckily she saw the missed call, called me back and deleted the message unheard - important safety tip kids, rememebr to end speaker phone calls.....

I agree, sounds like it could be a useful tool for parents, a little too big brotherish for work (although some people work under the watchful eye of the camera all the time already (c-store clerks, casion dealers, bank teller) so why not train drivers...? i'm sure it would change behavior.

[NinJaBob]

My answer to this is if you're not doing anything wrong the why would you care. If an owner of a vehicle be it a car of train wants to have a camera in their vehicle then that should be their right. They do own the vehicle after all. If it forces people to act more professional well maybe that's not a bad thing.

[IADad]

as long as it's the OWNER who gets to decide....

[NinJaBob]

Originally Posted by IADad

as long as it's the OWNER who gets to decide....

definitely

[IADad]

You know the joke about Ford putting voice data recorders in F150's as a test. After retrieving them following several accidents they found the most common phrase uttered right before an accident in trucks from above the Mason-Dixon Line was "Oh SH&%!!!" and in trucks south of the line it was "Hey, hold my beer and watch this..."

[xox.ilu.xox]

Originally Posted by bssage

I think at first glance it looks OK. But they are looking at doing this for the train crews. The thing we are more concerned about is we spend a lot of time there and have a lot of conversations which are intended to pass time. lots of gossip dirty jokes ect. The occasonial nose pick ect.

Who really wants to be video recorded singing to the radio, venting when mom and dad make you mad.

Agreed. my husband is a railroader, and here in BC Canada, all the train locamotives have cameras....but they dont face the train crew, they face the rails....but they record sound too...he says they are annoying as heck!

and for the statefarm camera thingies....RE-TARD-ED! If it were me, it would make me more stressed knowing I have a camera facing me while im driving!!!!! EEK!