> blows my mind that a screwdriver is all it takes to bypass the lock and ignition of a car made in 2016. c’mon, is that really the best we can do?
It’s not. Ignition interlocks have been very common for at least 20 years. But there’s apparently a lot of money to be made cutting a few corners and under pricing competition by a couple hundred dollars.
(author) Yeah, as I understand it my car (a 2016 Hyundai) represents the low end of security. My original statement in the post was more intended to mean "why isn't this better regulated in 2016"
Ignition immobilizers have been required in Germany/UK/other European countries since the 90s and Australia/Canada in the 2000s.
It's just the US that has that regulation gap, probably because the US market in the 90s sorta self-regulated to include it on everything so mandating it's requirement after the fact might've felt silly.
I guess the moral of the story here is there's always a corporation willing to break norms for profit.
The US lacking basic regulation that Europe has had for decades sadly does not surprise me in the least. There are a lot of things I love about living in the States, but this kind of thing is not one of them.
US resident visiting the EU at the moment. It’s indeed enjoyable to be in the highly-regulated EU in many ways. I think it makes their typical crowded city more practically livable than the equivalent in the US.
But I also like being back in the states where the government doesn’t seem to meddle with daily life quite as much.
Collectively, the EU is probably better, especially in crowded cities. Individually, it’s not so clear.
The EU as a whole has different priorities with their regulations but they’re not always more strict. It depends. Last time I was over there I was surprised by a couple of the things I saw that would be ADA, fire code, health code, or OSHA violations back home.
They weren’t anything too substantially significant, but neither is a Hyundai ignition key.
As two examples: it could easily be collectively more convenient if individuals had fewer rights and less privacy.
The US right to free speech is inconvenient at times for the collective. (I have no interest in hearing pro-Nazi speech. I have even less interest in living under a government with the power to ban that speech or other unpopular speech.)
When I lived in Germany, I had to register my address with the local government and update it quickly if I moved. In the US, I can move without reporting it to the local government. I’m sure there’s some collective benefit to the local police having a fairly accurate record of where everyone is regularly sleeping. Individually, I’m not interested in being obligated to share that information.
I believe the US approach is better, but I acknowledge that’s in large part because I was raised/indoctrinated to believe that.
You are actually supposed to notify the USSSS (for the draft) within 15 days if you are a man between the ages of 18 and 27, but I assume most people don't.
I'd say a significant majority of people do, but inadvertently.
Only 8 states don't require USSSS registration before obtaining an ID/driver's license and would automatically register (CA, CT, IN, NE, OR, VT, WA, WY), and of those, Washington and Indiana still automatically register unless there is an explicit opt out.
It's also a requirement for consideration of financial aid or in-state tuition for college, so many public universities won't allow application without proof of USSSS registration first and also helpfully auto-register on application or during enrollment.
My experience in CA is public high school would refuse to even award a high school diploma if you're 18 by graduation and didn't register and would also auto-register on your behalf if no explicit opt out was given. Funnily enough, mine registered me in the 30 days _before_ I turned 18.
Well, neither of those are local government which the parent comment referenced. Even if we did report moving to our local government, the IRS or USPS won't necessarily get that information.
The IRS gets our address because most people are required to file their tax returns, and we put our address on those forms.
The USPS doesn't need to find anyone. They just deliver to the address on an envelope. If the person isn't there, it's the sender's problem. You can however voluntarily tell the USPS you've moved, and they'll forward your mail for a period of time.
That's good. I really also hope they shook up their designs at the same time.
I probably still wouldn't buy a new one for a few years. I'd imagine thieves either don't know this, or do but can't tell model years apart clearly. Meaning there's a good chance your car may be broken into still, just not driven off with.
I wouldn’t worry about this situation in particular. Most thieves still just want to steal stuff out of your car which is still easy no matter what you drive.
I mean, pretty much every other consumer product has even worse locks. In the physical security world, locks are really only a deterrent on their own. There will always be some exploit that’s the lowest hanging fruit for thieves.
Cars are pretty dang expensive already, and in terms of benefit to society, there’s probably a lot more bang for the buck in requiring safety features that protect human life before we start worrying about property.
It’s not. Ignition interlocks have been very common for at least 20 years. But there’s apparently a lot of money to be made cutting a few corners and under pricing competition by a couple hundred dollars.