Data Probe Cars Could Save Lives, Speed Traffic and Spy on You

An article in yesterday's New York Times reports that companies that sell "intelligent" technology to automakers "want to convert fleets of vehicles into sensors for a vast network." In other words, cars would become data probes for road crews, police, emergency personnel and other government entities.

The story points out that the technology to collect such information already exists. It's just a matter of communicating it to the world outside the car. And that exists as well: Think of OnStar knowing that a car has crashed, its location and how many air bags have deployed. The gap is getting the info to the proper authorities, and the problem is doing it in a way that doesn't violate privacy.

Benefits of sharing information from vehicles include better roads (wired suspensions could report potholes), smoother traffic (networked cars could quickly report a stall on the freeway), more accurate warnings (black ice ahead!) and improved accident response times (emergency personnel could know exactly how many vehicles are in an accident, the severity of a crash and possibly the number of people involved). These are things almost everyone can agree are worth giving up a bit of privacy for -- especially if you're already willing to let a grocery store know your buying habits every time you swipe your club card at the checkout stand in exchange for a discount on toilet paper.

But before you become concerned about Big Brother riding shotgun, the Times article notes that there are major obstacles to overcome before a car-to-x system could be implemented.  It would require extensive network infrastructure, for example.

And the biggest roadblock is money. The article reports that "industry leaders are roaming the halls of Congress to seek financing."

Well, get in line behind banks and U.S. automakers.