Category Archives: motor vehicles

Legal Trend: State Supreme Court Strikes Down Red Light Cameras

Missouri Supreme Court struck down red light cameras this week. The rational:

  • One of the city ordinances stated no points would be applied against the person fora  red light camera violation, but that conflicts with state law requiring points for moving violations.
  • Another city ordinance unbconstitutionally shifted the burden of proof of that the moving vioaltion occurred onto the defendant.

Courts have also halted red light camera use in Florida. Illinois & California have upheld the use…

Hacking Cars. Manufactures Proactively Fix Systems to Protect Vehicles From hackers.

Onstar–the savior for people who lock their keys in the car.  Onstar–the way for hackers to take over your car.

Until this week, hackers were able to take control of opening cars, turning on the ignition, and locating the vehicle. The hack took $100 of equipment but was an otherwise easy path to taking over Onstar.

Findlaw

Researchers testing the Tesla system also identified a potential vulnerability and sent out a wireless update to Tesla systems.

TechCrunch

Lege Trend: New Transportation Fee for Motor Vehicles

California license plates have a special coating that help facilitate the reading of license plates by electronic means. All liberty lovers, please note that the regulation at issue is a fee and not whether this coating is good or bad.

With that libertarian disclaimer, this license plate coating peels. In California, a license plate that is peeling, but still legible, generated a $1,000 fine.

Sacramento Bee

Lege Trend: Laws Against Hacking a Car. Hackers Can Take Over your Car.

A reporter for Wired details what parts of a car hackers can control while you’re driving. It’s like a self driving car, driven by criminals with you in it.

Hackers are able to control a vehicle’s:

  • A/C system, changing the temperature in the car
  • The radio, changing channels and volume control
  • Windshield wipers
  • Windshield washer fluid blurring the windows
  • dashboard functions
  • steering
  • brakes
  • transmission

All of the car functions above can be controlled from a laptop by a nefarious…

Self Driving Cars Come to Texas No Government Approval Necessary

After self-driving car regulations failed to pass during the regular legislative session, Google brings self-driving cars to Austin. 

No legislation, means no permission necessary for self-driving cars. Google’s cars will have 2 back up human drivers in them at all times and weill be seen in and around Austin.

Texas Tribune

Electronic Road Enforcement? Bill Says No.

One of the most elegant amendments in recent years was the amendment authorizing red light cameras. The amendment made no mention of red light cameras, cameras, or electronic enforcement.

SB 340 wants to be the final nail in the coffin to all electronic traffic enforcement and electronic license plate readers. The bill by Senator Huffines would end fines & violations based on these electr…