I need help disabling my driving performance monitor

I heard about them TESTING them, but not actually officially rolling them out.

On a side note, Progessive Insurance has a volunteer program that has a similar box that plugs into your OBDII port. Supposedly if you're a "good" driver in their opinion based on the box, then you get a better rate. It was voluntary, device could be removed, and the data it submitted (by plugging it into a USB port and uploading) could be edited before submitting (remove data, not change it from what I understand). Apparently it's not very popular. Also only available in a small number of states. I can't imagine it working well in NY. Or NJ for that matter.

 

I've heard references to the data recorders in accident investigations and I have assumed for quite some time that most modern automobiles were equipped with them.

 

110% agreed, there needs to be clear-cut LAWS governing the use/abuse of the info by anyone who is not the owner. Its only a matter of time b4 on-star gets involved in a major lawsuit because it was abused. Imagine being on a major highway in the center lane and your car gets shutoff by some idiot, and you lose power. Not able to change lanes safely and fast enough you get rear-ended and somebody gets killed. Who's liable then? We'll see soon enough because its not "if" it happens but "when" it happens. Lets just hope lives aren't lost for action to be taken.

 

Yeah I don't really care for this option. Wouldn't you have to be aware or informed about it being in your truck? You can record people on the phone if both parties know about it, or if you are in person only one person needs to know. Wouldn't I have to be informed of this being in my truck and have the option to purchase something else. Could this be used in court if I don't know about it? Just wondering seeing as how I drive like a grandpa.

 

Here is what the young man who started this thread was talking about. It's a monitor which will tell his parents how he's been driving..

http://www.familysafemedia.com/carchip_pro_model_8226_car_chi.html

 

If that's the case simply unplugging or getting the software on a laptop would be enough, but then his parents might question gaps in the data. Either way, I don't see how you could remove the 5 minutes of speeding to a gf's house without them wondering why he was gone for 6 hours, but only see X minutes of data.

 

Best idea is for him to drive in a manner which won't upset his parents....might save his life or someone else's.

Hard to convince a 17 yr old stud he's not indestructible and not as smart as he thinks

 

My GUESS is that you are a bad driver and your parents need to monitor you ?
This is most likely for your own good .
WheN you pay your own way then you can drive your own way as you will be paying the bills

JMHO

 

Thank you very much for bringing this to light as I will be getting one for my Daughter as well .
Its a good idea for kids

 

I'm glad my parents trust me and would never consider putting one of those things in my truck.

There is a reason why I'm 17 and have never been in an accident or got a ticket.

 

How long have you been driving? I didn't get into an accident until I hit a patch of black ice when I was 20.... You still have some time to go before you can claim a long, blemish free driving record.

 

LMAO...I'm glad I don't live on your street

 

I'm not really a conspiracy theorist and not too concerned with something recording data about my car. But I agree, my car and everything in it belongs to me, not Toyota or anyone else. Nobody can get the data from this recorder without my permission or a court order.

 

Yeah, but it only cuts your insurance in half if you DON'T speed, get in accidents, drive recklessly, etc. So unless you drive like grandma, your rates ain't going down!

 

As if we needed another reason to avoid GM cars. Nobody's going to read about how a rogue OnStar employee disabled my Toyota.

I don't think this should be possible even for cars that are reported stolen. If a stolen car loses acceleration and ends up stopping in front of me on the interstate, it puts my life in danger. (Even if it slows down gradually, a stopped car on the interstate is a dangerous thing.)

If a stolen car is driving near me on any road, I'd much rather it be tracked to its destination by OnStar, reach that destination safely, and hopefully get retrieved by the police soon after.

+1

It sounds like there's a reason this guy has one in his car. I don't know if the technology was around when I was a teenager, but I wouldn't have been offended if my parents put it in my car unless I was a wreckless driver and didn't want them to know. In that case, I'd be in the wrong anyway.

Drive safely and responsibly (b/c it's not just your life you're putting on the line when you drive) and you shouldn't have anything to worry about from your parents' device.

I think it's interesting how this post turned into a whole thread about 'big brother's invasion of our privacy.' I'm guessing that it wouldn't have been anywhere near as fun to read if we had realized what his question was really about in the beginning.

For the record, I don't mind if Toyota knows the most recent 45 seconds of activity in my car. If I get in a wreck, I'm telling the cops and anybody else who will listen exactly what happened. If I'm in the wrong, then I'm in the wrong. You won't find my story at odds with any computer on my car.

On the other hand, I completely agree w/ the 'slippery slope' argument. I can see how this could eventually evolve into something that I feel is too much. This particular device just doesn't cross that line for me.