I Love My Dumb Car!
Guest Blog NMA Member Michael Jabbra Why does my car need to be connected to the Internet? Convenience? Convenience for whom? Insurance companies, law enforcement agencies, vehicle manufacturers, and advertisers, each spying on my movements for their own purposes? What happened to being left alone? What happened to the Fourth Amendment? Driverless cars are even […]
A Slingshot Around Uncle
There is a way out. Of half a dozen (or more) air bags and seat belt buzzers and back-up cameras and narc-you-out black boxes and automatic braking (soon to be a mandatory “feature” in all new cars). Just don’t buy a car. Buy a “motorcycle” that just happens to be a car… or close enough […]
TheNewspaper.com Roundup: September 9, 2015
Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in. Wednesday, September 9, 2015 California Assembly Passes Bill Limiting Automobile Use The freedom to get around by automobile could […]
Hacked
By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Well, I told ya so. First they hacked the Google car. Now, it appears, they — “they” being hackers — could, in principle at least, take over half-a-million Jeeps (and other Fiat-Chrysler vehicles) equipped with in-car WiFi. They’ve already done so in fact with one.
No More “Speeding” For You!
By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Someday — and that day might be closer than you want to know — we’ll look back fondly on speed traps. Because at least you could speed. Give the finger — via the accelerator pedal — to ridiculous, dumbed-down/one-size-fits-all velocity maximums laid down by bureaucrats whose prime directive always seems […]
Tax By Mile Cometh
By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Oregon — home of things uber trendy — has become the first state to begin dunning motorists by the mile rather than by the gallon. The “pilot” program begins July 1 — and will be implemented by the Oregon DOT in partnership with something called Sanef ITS Technologies America and […]
TheNewspaper.com Roundup: February 18, 2015
Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in. Wednesday, February 18, 2015 Georgia Supreme Court Advances Demand For Breathalyzer Source Code The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday […]
Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas For The Gearhead
By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Got a gearhead on your Christmas list — but you’re not a gearhead and so have no idea what to get? Here are some last-minute suggestions for items to put under the tree (or in the garage) this year:
NMA Reboot: Of Cyber Hackers and “Pay As You Drive” Auto Insurance
This weekly post features recent news stories that highlight and update themes previously covered throughout NMA E-Newsletters and Alerts. Editor’s Note: A team of cyber security experts has remotely hacked into a vehicle’s control systems by exploiting a security hole in an aftermarket telematics device called a Zubie. The Zubie plugs into a vehicle’s onboard […]
Esurance is Watching You
By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just signed off on a “plan” (you know there’s trouble brewing whenever a control freak politician announces he has a “plan”) touted as a way to “discourage” teen drivers from texting while driving but which will inevitably lead to adults being under the constant (and […]