Japanese Toyotas equipped with networked anti-theft cameras
posted Sep 5th 2005 7:53PM
You know who this is for: those guys who buy every issue of Dub, who spend more time tricking out their car than with their family, and who dream of spoilers, rims and nitrous. Guys who would rather lose a limb than their ride. Well, Toyota wants to help those guys sleep at night, so they've introduced an in-car security camera (sorry, Japan-only for right now) that photographs the lowlife who just jacked your wheels. Powered by their G-BOOK suite of wireless services (think: OnStar), when a car is stolen the perp's pic is immediately sent to a Toyota Security Center. So once they track down your pimped-out Scion, the guy behind the wheel can no longer claim, "No officer, I swear officer, my friend told me it belongs to his grandma." Busted!
Great so make our criminals smarter, now they will wear ski masks to steal cars.
zomg!...
vancouver canada has only had this for over a year...
they call it a bait car...
and when someone jacks it, it starts recording and and then transmits live audio/video (not just a picture) to the police... and also the ability to shut down the vehicle
http://baitcar.com/
honestly, a picture isnt worth shit.. as many carjackers wear masks...
If someone was driving down the street with a ski mask on I'd think I would call the cops. So not very smart after all.
#3
many car thefts happen at night, you couldnt tell if someone is wearing a ski mask...
and what about winter time? lol...
But then the any citizen can see that there is something a tad bit wrong....
So maybe the car's lights turn on and the camera takes a picture?
Why not put electric shock probes in the drivers seat? Then activate them when the car is stolen. The theif's ass is burn to a crisp, and its caught on tape :)
So a thief would just have to add a 1 inch square piece of duct tape to his set of car-jacking tools. Seriously, someone at Toyota thought this was a good idea?
Hey. It's better than nothing. Like the 'Club'; any car thief could get one off if they wanted to, but it deters them; why go through the trouble if there's an easier target? If enough Toyota vehicles have this, and the word is widespread, this could act as a deterrent. Anyhow, I'm willing to bet most car thieves won't notice this little pinhole in their haste. Maybe Toyota could hide it in a place that can't be covered up-- say... in the rearview mirror (2-way mirror) or in the gauge cluster.
The Bait Car program really works well though, I agree. I'm a Vancouverite too. =)
now all you need is to collaborate with that south african firm that made those cars with defensive flame throwers to deter looters or the otherwise overzealous - but put them on the inside! Toyota, judge, jury and executioner, anyone? Rumor has it that G-Book ninjas will silently stalk the sleeping cities over their customers and seize thieves in their unlawful midst, hauling them back to local dealerships for brutal but swift justice.
Yes , there are ways to defeat it. But thieves aren't usually very smart. Plus they still steal and are caught in On Star equipped vehicles.
Yes , there are ways to defeat it. But thieves aren't usually very smart. Plus they still steal and are caught in On Star equipped vehicles.