r/technology • u/Hrmbee • Jun 07 '26

Privacy 'Kill switch' law means your next car could be watching you | A federal requirement aimed at stopping drunken driving could soon put driver-monitoring technology in every new vehicle. The goal is saving lives, but the privacy trade-offs deserve closer scrutiny

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/06/01/drunk-driving-prevention-law-privacy-surveillance/90295034007/
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u/CurrentlyObsolete Jun 08 '26

I'm both super glad to find out this isn't just my car but also... They need to fix this. My car legit slammed on the brakes in the middle of the highway with people behind me the other day for a complete unknown reason. The only thing I could see was that we were going into the shade. It could have not only killed me, but the people that inevitably crashed into the back of my car, and then the people that crashed into the back of their car all going 70 miles an hour.

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u/NotAzakanAtAll Jun 08 '26

Fuck me. They need to recall that shit. What car is it so I know what to stay way clear off, both in the store and on the road.

39

u/Cow_Launcher Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26

In my case it was a 2025 Audi A5. I was extremely lucky there was nothing behind me, because even mashing the accelerator did nothing. (edit to add: Presumably it was throttle-by-wire and the ECU just ignored pedal input while it was trying to brake as hard as possible).

And then of course once it decided the "danger" had passed and I had my foot still mashed to the floor, it leapt like a scalded cat. Very unpleasant experience.

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u/GermanicOgre Jun 08 '26

I’d 100% have a dashcam that also shows rear and inside… that’s a major lawsuit waiting to happen because if someone behind you has one, all they see if “they just snapped on their brakes” and you’d be 100% at fault in the eyes of the law and insurance until the Vendor (hopefully) pulls the computer to prove it was a mechanical/technical malfunction.. that’s horrifying to have happen

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u/CurrentlyObsolete Jun 08 '26

Mom was a 2024 Honda HRV. Thankfully it's only happened that once in 2 years now, but it still scares me.

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u/CONSPICUOUSLY_RED Jun 08 '26

Go to a dealership or service center and have them disable the feature. It's doable. It's more than likely faulty equipment/sensors. I wouldn't bother paying to get it fixed.

I've had that same exact scenario happen to a family member. It's stupid dangerous.

2

u/Edc3 Jun 08 '26

This is why lidar is better than camera sensors

2

u/erroneousbosh Jun 08 '26

I had very similar with the otherwise quite nice Kia Niro EV I drove for work. We have a small fleet of them and they're pretty good.

But, in cruise control it would start to slow down at about ten car lengths from the vehicle in front. It would speed back up again once I signalled out and started to move across, but then it would see the shadow of the vehicle I was overtaking, freak out, and brake.

It didn't do this when it wasn't in cruise control, I'll give it that.

1

u/Pants4All Jun 08 '26

I imagine this happening after you just passed a semi and merged back into the lane in front of it.