Honda system to warn motorists of crime hotspots

Mitsubishi unveil a prototype of a new navigation system at the CEATEC electronics show in 2006. Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. will start a new system this week warning motorists when they are driving close to crime hotspots.

Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. will start a new system this week warning motorists when they are driving close to crime hotspots.

Based on information from the police, drivers will get an alert through Honda's onboard navigation system about areas where cars have been damaged, stolen or broken into in the past, Honda said in a statement.

The new system, which will be available from Tuesday in Japan, will rate districts by level of risk.

Japanese automakers are increasingly targeting motorists with ever more sophisticated navigation and safety systems, even though auto theft is less common here than in many other developed countries.

Š 2008 AFP

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Posted by drknowledge 04/21/08 05:24

Rank: 5/5 after 2 votes

This could have interesting consequences. Those who have taken statistics will know that large numbers of people are poor at making statistical judgments, and at acting on them. (As an example, gamblers who believe dice can be "hot".) What's so interesting about this device is not only will people have quantified statistics, they'll need to make decisions about how much risk they're willing to accept. Seems like a very healthy kind of thinking to encourage people to do.