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Is it time for all motor vehicles to be fitted with a black box?

To be honest, I'm seeing more and more young adults choosing not to drive, 25 years ago when I started uni, most of my group drove or had a license. I now work in said university, in automotive engineering and the majority of students do not hold a driving license. I would think the number of new drivers in the UK is declining, the increase in traffic is probably at the other end of the age range, where people are driving for longer.
My 32 year old son’s car lease ends next month.
He lives in Manchester City centre and as a result of Brexit works 2 days out of 5 in the office in Whaley Bridge, the rest at home.
He is not replacing the car and will use trains.
He reckons he can no longer justify the extra expense of running a car.
 
A lot of anti-car stuff focuses on the cities, and certainly when I lived in London I didn't use the car much as public transport was a much better (and usually quicker) way to get around the city. It's rather a different story in more rural locations though - for example I have a house in a village in the Cairngorms National Park which I've owned for a month but still haven't seen a bus in the village. Apparently there are 2 buses per day to the town 15 miles away that has the nearest high school - but those only run during the school term. There are also supposedly two buses a week to the nearest large town (allowing a couple of hours for shopping before the only bus home).

On the plus side I have room to park maybe 20 vehicles on my property there (unlike in my Edinburgh place where I only have parking for 3 or 4).
This.
I live in Poynton 14 miles from Manchester.
There is no direct bus route and the trains are hourly Mon to Sat.
Not very convenient at all if I wanted to go to Manchester.
On the odd occasions I did pre covid for meals or theatre I had to drive half way there to a metrolink tram with a car park and get the tram in.
 
On the original topic, many cars already have a “black box” fitted as it is. Event Data Recorders maintain a rolling log of speed, braking, steering angles, seat-occupancy sensors and seatbelt closure. If the car is in an accident, the data can be spooled out of the device. Also, if you own a Tesla car, you are sending all of this same information—plus your exact location—to a private company in real time, where they can do anything they want with it, including “not adequately secure it against theft”.
 
For:
The roads are getting ever more congested and contested.
Modern cars are just too fast for their purpose. And they are getting bigger.
There seems to be a lot of dangerous "leisure" driving going on.
Pollution is a big problem.
"The car is King" needs to be changed

Against:
Civil liberty

I think it's time.

Sure. Why not go whole hog and insist on permanent body-cams for everybody over the age of 18 - and maybe a little barcode tattoo'd identification number to match the camera. That'd sort all those compliance issues for the State once and for all :)
 
The idea of another massive government IT project can't enthuse anyone?

Remember the NHS fiasco, we've had a Fire and Police service version too. Most recently the NHS app, OH has been pinged three times now. Not a trace of symptoms.

Rural public transport provision makes cars essential, continual surveillance would be ridiculous.
 
Bridgewater Hall (area).


And back on topic.... Manky has a terrible traffic problem. Congestion, knob driving, pollution - the lot!
 
Don't waste your time, narrow minded ****s like that are better off staying away. :D

P.S. It's always been a great and vibrant place, that's why it's always produced more than its fair share of talented people over the decades.

As the great Ian McCulloch put it: 'People are always going on about the great groups coming from Manchester. Lest we forget, Manchester also gave us Freddie and the Dreamers'.
 
As the great Ian McCulloch put it: 'People are always going on about the great groups coming from Manchester. Lest we forget, Manchester also gave us Freddie and the Dreamers'.

Hey my mate is good friends with Pete Birrell so no slagging off Freddie & The Dreamers here please :D
 
Bridgewater Hall (area).


And back on topic.... Manky has a terrible traffic problem. Congestion, knob driving, pollution - the lot!
No argument from me on Manchester's traffic problem. Second only to London in that, IME. I prefer not to drive into, or through, the city if I can avoid it.

The Bridgewater Hall area isn't the worst bit of the city (IMHO that's the Piccadilly Gardens area), but it's not the most vibrant or characterful either, and there's some pretty grotty bits nearby. That said, it has indeed improved in the last couple of years, Covid notwithstanding.
 
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No argument from me on Manchester's traffic problem. Second only to London in that, IME. I prefer not to drive into, or through, the city if I can avoid it.

The Bridgewater Hall area isn't the worst bit of the city (IMHO that's the Piccadilly Square area), but it's not the most vibrant or characterful either, and there's some pretty grotty bits nearby. That said, it has indeed improved in the last couple of years, Covid notwithstanding.

In fairness my opinion of Manchester is perhaps unfair, it is based on a huge waste of life sat in a car on the M60 carpark :(.
 


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