They're Not Just For Criminals Anymore
By Jocelyn Geboy in Miscellaneous on Jul 11, 2007 5:29PM
We've all been there. The bus is packed as it is, asses to elbows to Timbuk2 bags. We're trying not to step on the granny sitting in front of us and trying to convince the proud older man with a cane that we don't want the seat that just opened up (even though we do, we were raised right!). The bus pulls away from the stop with a jerk and a block later, jams on its brakes causing everyone to get a good grip at best, and stumble and collide into their neighbor at worst. But maybe the driver didn't see the person until the last minute. Or something. Our worst fears are confirmed as this racing/slamming process is repeated ad nauseam/infinitum/I'mgonnakillem until we get off the bus. What the hell?
Aside from apologizing for the "incovenience" of last week's snafu and then making amends for his apology, Ron Huberman is also going to try and do something about the shitty bus driver. The CTA is looking at a new techology designed to monitor dangerous driving maneuvers and if a driver is consistently crappy, the device would alert their supervisors. It's called DriveCam, and it with video and audio recorders and sensing devices notes "when buses swerve, make sharp turns, accelerate rapidly, stop too hard or go through an assortment of other maneuvers that can lead to collisions. The data collected is downloaded each day and if a bus is consistently operated poorly, DriveCam rats out the ... bus? Do bus drivers always drive the same bus? That seems implausible, but we don't know how that works.
DriveCam Inc. claims that having the devices "reduce damage-claim costs and save lives by improving the way people drive." We also want to know what happens if someone is stastically proven to be a bad driver. Do they get extra training? Do they just get the boot? It seems like a computer is a good monitoring device, but nothing ensures good driving more than good training.
Today, the CTA board is going to be asked to approve a contract to put the DriveCams on about 300 CTA buses out of a 2,000 bus fleet, and R-Dog said that "If the contract is approved, the test would begin this summer and run for a year, costing up to $250,000." We immediately rolled our eyes at spending more money the CTA doesn't seem to have, but the story says that buses were involved in 4,000 accidents in 2006 and that the CTA paid out $19 million last year in accident settlements, court judgments and claims. The CTA has been using video cameras on its buses for quite some time now in order to deter criminal activity and to catch any people who might get away with horrible crimes. But now it's time to catch the horrible drivers, too.
“36 crazy. “ by okta’ lonli