‘Waste the money somewhere else’: Curley sounds alarm on federal ‘kill switch’ law that would let your car decide if you’re fit to drive

Beginning in 2027, all vehicles sold in the U.S. are required to be equipped with a “kill switch” to automatically prevent a car from operating if the technology finds the driver is impaired.

John Curley, host of “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, discussed why he is counting on the “unbelievably screwed up” state and federal government to fail to implement this kind of law.

“The federal and state government is so unbelievably screwed up, I’m just hoping they’re as inefficient with all the implications and the additional actions that they won’t succeed with this,” Curley said. “I’m just counting on the numbskulls that are elected and the numbskulls who work for them to be motivated by more days off, and more fraud, waste, and abuse to just waste the money somewhere else. I’m just counting on them to screw it up like they screw everything else up.”

Ford sits on 5 patents for targeted ads, police surveillance

Meanwhile, according to a friend of Curley’s at Ford Motor Company, five patents have already been filed for similar technology that may be built into newer Ford models, though Curley’s source noted the company is sitting on the designs with “no rush” to use them.

Some of the patents filed by Ford include the ability to provide targeted ads based on speech from passengers, provide law enforcement with surveillance footage and statistics such as speed limit infractions, and the “kill switch” barring drivers from operating a vehicle if they are deemed impaired.

“If this thing records me singing in my car, I have no problem with it, because I’m going to be on Billboard charts,” Curley said. “As long as it doesn’t catch me picking my nose, I feel OK so far.”

The system would collect a person’s biometric data, including their face, iris, and fingerprints, to be submitted into a criminal database in real time while a person is sitting inside their vehicle.

Proponents have also cited the technology’s potential to make police work more efficient and safe by removing the need for officers to personally identify each violation or engage in high-speed pursuits.

“Everything is for efficiency, every one of these things somebody can justify,” Curley said. “Now, what you’re talking about in the car, and it’s playing ads for you, it’s spying on you. There must be some point where the government comes in and says, ‘You should have some privacy while you’re in your car.'”

Surveillance law could extend to personal vehicles

KIRO producer Joe Wallace raised concerns over a surveillance act that is currently being debated in Congress, which, if left untouched, would allow authorities to monitor a person’s location through the data provided from their vehicle.

“Here’s the concerning thing: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the CIA and NSA to basically spy on things they consider foreign threats,” Wallace said. “They’ve also allowed the FBI, in the current version of this bill, to warrantlessly spy on Americans. This is being debated in Congress right now to change it. At some point in 2028, if the FBI thinks John Curley is up to no good, they can just take a look at your camera in your brand new car, without a warrant, and decide whether or not you’re where they think you should be.”

“How wet are you going to get as you jump from one stone to the next in order to get across this imaginary, raging river of infringement upon our freedom?” Curley asked in response.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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