scribblings from a deist transhumanist libertarian minarchist citizen soldier

‘Anonymous’ GPS data reveals speed habits

Posted by Trevor in memewars on Mar 17th, 2010 | View Comments |

Based on this data, I tend to drive 9 or so percent faster than the average American. Except when I’m testing engineering limits of the various vehicles I drive, of course.

Based on anonymous driving habit data from customers in 45 states, GPS navigation firmTomTom reckons that Americans tend to drive at about 70 MPH on the freeway, regardless of the posted speed limit. More specifically, most Americans tend to stay within a few miles per hour of the speed limit on interstate freeways. The WSJ [sub] reports that these findings are consistent with efforts to raise freeway speed limits around the country, as Virginia recently became the latest state to raise its freeway speed limit to 70 MPH or above. Naturally, there are still safety advocates still sticking to their “speed kills” talking points, but despite these state-by-state speed limit increases, America’s road fatalities per vehicle mile traveled has been dropping consistently. That Americans rarely drive over 70 MPH, even when limits are as high as 75 MPH, shows that motorists tend to find their natural comfort limit at that speed anyway. And the fact that states with higher freeway speeds tend to be large, sparsely-populated Western states indicates that motorists tend to vary their speed only slightly from the 70 MPH “state of nature” even when faced with longer distances and less traffic. [Hat Tip: ClutchCarGo]

There are a few points worth noting. The only reason the data is currently “anonymous”is because the GPS maker wants it that way. Market forces combined with social mores dictate that anonymity is dead or dying in America. If lawmakers and manufacturers decide we aren’t going to fuss about it, your car and/or GPS will soon track you. Rental companies track your every move. OnStar does as well (read the privacy policy very carefully; there is no expectation of privacy). Eventually, vehicles being driven contrary to acceptable societal norms will auto alert authorities who will come punish you in various nefarious ways to include clumsy attempts at re-education.

I wonder if my 9% deviance from norms will be tolerated when that day arrives.

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Will

Some very good points here! However, most automobile GPS receivers are completely one-way. The receive signals from the satellites, and calculate their own position. There is no way for that information to be gathered by anyone, including the manufacturers or the government without an additional internet connection or something on the GPS receiver.
Trevor

GPS is easy to connect to a recording black box or a transmitting "car brother" as I like to think of them. It is only a matter of month or maybe a couple years before we see proposals for making recording of driver location, speed and pedal behavior mandatory. It will be touted in the name of safety and children.
Will

Very true. I just wanted to remind everyone that as of right now, they are not being spied on through their GPS receivers.
Trevor

I certainly hope it didn't come across in the blog entry as if I think government is spying on people with GPS linked to other systems. I know rental car companies are. Trucking companies too. Maybe that is completely justified but it makes me uncomfortable.