What are your thoughts on this, do you think the NZ public would accept this?
Given how trivially easy GPS is to disrupt, I think a lot of these devices would mysteriously start malfunctioning on the open road or on toll roads if this was actually done.
I’d like to see a system that simply queries the ECU for the vehicle’s odometer reading every time the vehicle is driven and sends that to the appropriate agency, with no location tracking involved.
No: Complicated location-based schemes would be awful. I used to live in an area with a number of time-based driving restrictions. The occasional “you got a fine because you drove down that road on the wrong day” sucked, and I lived in the area and knew the roads. I can’t imagine it was fun for visitors.
Yes: fairer charging. Move ACC levies to the usage not the rego. You can’t drive your work car and your personal car at the same time. Barely drive? You’re less likely to be in or cause an accident. Maybe even chuck in charges for general “harm” (ie polluters, massive American ‘trucks’, etc)
No: GPS tracking can fuck right off. Who’s paying for ~6 million trackers? Who’s managing all that data? Who’s overseeing all that data? What’s stopping the govt suddenly deciding “we’ll fine you immediately when you speed. Anywhere, any time”? I’d rather have the shitty prepaid paper system over GPS.
Yes: it is a good opportunity for innovation. But it’s also a good opportunity to funnel millions of not billions of money and data into the hands of a private overseas company to build, test, deploy and manage… Can we not?
I’ll put money down that it will be an evil company. Palantir or a similar company.
ACC levies being distance based rather than vehicle based are a great idea actually, as your likelihood of being in a crash is directly proportional to the time you spend on the road.
I don’t see charging high emissions vehicles more being particularly popular though.