Auto industry to give chipmakers a lift

Prius: no doubt one of the leaders in "Techiedom"

 

yes image sensors... no doubt will become a part of the vehicle in short order. like the on board computers, they will be subsidized by the insurance industry in order to

1) increase the safety of the vehicle by taking steps to insure the suitability of the driver.

2) additional evidence gathering for claims processing. one estimate from an insurance agent (i talk to them everyday as a normal course of my job and I do not work in the industry) says that retinal verification and fingerprint scanners will be in upscale cars in 2-3 years and will replace the keyfob.

but they will not be instituted until they reach 99.8% accuracy. there are 3 models vying for the job. however the only one that has achieved the accuracy goal is priced beyond the parameters set by the industry.

but to make a long story short, if everything goes well, things like DWI's, driving under the influence, car theft, all would be a thing of the past. however, she anticipates a major battle to institute any changes. as she puts it, most people think they have the right to do anything they want in their own car.

all i can say is, technology has proven its ability to benefit and enhance the quality of life. and yes it does impact on our privacy. insurance companies have used on board computers in accident investigations for a few years now and that will only increase to the point that they will know how fast you were going, etc. in the case of "drive by wire" vehicles like the Prius, they will be able to see how many sudden movements you made including things like erratic lane changes, speed changes, etc.

i guess we need to get used to the fact that driving is a privillage and we have to share the road with millions of others. i rather lose some privacy and be assured that everyone on the road is fit to drive.

although the numbers are getting better, there are still over 45,000 people killed every year on the highways. in 2002 the death toll included nearly 30,000 INNOCENT bystanders.

another she told me that filled my with so much pride i could hardly work for the rest of the day.

she basically said that the Prius' importance will go down in history as not starting the hybrid revolution but as a study in introduction and acceptance of radical new technology. i guess she read some tests circulated to insurance industry insiders detailing the VSC in the Prius and was extremely impressed. although VSC isnt new, to have the technology in a $20,000 car, not to mention SE/SS, etc., is a huge wake up call to the auto industry.

The Prius may be heaven to techies... but it is also making an impact in the insurance world... albeit a late one. one thing i thought was somewhat surprising, is that most agents i talk to were no more imformed about the Prius than any other normal US citizen. that is just now starting to change.