"In for a penny-" Remi started
"In for trouble," Sam finished.
Originally with reference to the fact that if one owed a penny, one might as well owe a pound, as the penalties for non-payment were virtually identical in severity. [UP until the early 1900s, a crime in England as innocuous as stealling a loaf of bread could lead to transport to a penal colony in Australia!
Headlights still off, Sam slowly steered the BMW up the road, trying to avoid potholes
A pothole (sometimes called a kettle and known in parts of the Western United States as a chuckhole) is a type of disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of the road material has broken away, leaving a hole.
Most potholes are formed due to fatigue of the road surface. As fatigue fractures develop they typically interlock in a pattern known as crocodile cracking. The chunks of pavement between fatigue cracks are worked loose and may eventually be picked out of the surface by continued wheel loads, thus forming a pothole.
The formation of potholes is exacerbated by low temperatures, as water expands when it freezes to form ice, and puts greater stress on an already cracked pavement or road. Once a pothole forms, it grows through continued removal of broken chunks of pavement. If a pothole fills with water the growth may be accelerated, as the water "washes away" loose particles of road surface as vehicles pass. In temperate climates, potholes tend to form most often during spring months when the subgrade is weak due to high moisture content. However, potholes are a frequent occurrence anywhere in the world, including in the tropics.
Pothole patching is the process of repairing an asphalt based road imperfection. Pothole patching is a year round activity performed by City and County Street Department crews to maintain the area's roads and bridges.
Pothole patching methods are divided into two distinct categories, hot mix and cold mix. Just as the nomenclature suggest, cold mix is a suitable material for the winter months and hot mix is used during the warm spring and summer seasons.
Both hot and cold mix are applied with similar methods. The most widely used method is known simply as throw-and-go. The patching mix is thrown into the pothole along with any debris or water present and compacted with the shovel by manual labor. This method is widely utilized due to the easy application and high rate of production, but the failure rate is extremely high.
The next step in a higher quality application is the throw and roll. In the throw-and-roll method, the patching mix is once again thrown into the pothole manually regardless of any water or debris. Next, a truck slowly drives over the repaired pothole and the mix is compacted. The goal is for the compacted patch to have a crown in the range of 0.125-0.25”. This process will take approximately two more minutes per pothole compared to the throw-and-go method. Although more time consuming, it makes for a more durable patch due to the compaction of the patching mix with the truck tire.
The best-known pothole patching method is the semi-permanent repair. In this method, the pothole is completely removed of any water or debris. Next, the pothole needs to be squared. All uneven edges will be cut with a pavement saw making the hole into a square or rectangular shape. The pothole is cleaned once again before the patching mix is applied. Finally, the area is compacted with a single drum roller or a vibratory plate compacter. The semi-permanent method provides the tightest and longest lasting patch. However, it is more time consuming and requires more workers and equipment in the field.
During the "semi-permanent" repair, a material known as a tack may also be used. Tack is a liquid form material used to promote adhesion of the pothole patch mix, and the pothole surface. If tack is utilized during the repair, it is either sprayed or brushed on the clean and squared pothole. Next, the pothole patching mix is applied and compacted in the desired method, and a final coat of the tack is sprayed on top of the patch overlapping the edges a few inches.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, whichever method is used, patches applied in the winter months typically will not hold up as well as patches applied during the warmer months. The goal for winter patching should be to repair the road as quickly as possible to increase the safety and comfort of the roads. With that stated, the throw-and-go method is favorable as long as a high quality material is utilized. The goal in the warmer months is typically to use the semi-permanent. Utilizing this method while the conditions are ideal will create patches that will last to the extent of the roads life.
He began looking around the car's interior and found what he was looking for almost immediately. Set into a panel on the dashboard was a button labeled OnStar
OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, hands free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada and China. A similar service is known as ChevyStar in Latin American markets. The service currently has more than six million customers.
Onstar unit in a 2008 Saturn Astra
A new aftermarket interior rear-view mirror with a built-in OnStar module, branded as OnStar FMV, became available to the public on July 24, 2011. It provides some of the features an OEM system has, such as Automatic Crash Response, Stolen Vehicle Tracking, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, and Roadside Assistance.
Overview
The OnStar service relies on CDMA mobile phone voice and data communication, primarily via Verizon Wireless in the United States and Bell Mobility in Canada, as well as location information using GPS technology. Drivers and passengers can use its audio interface to contact OnStar representatives for emergency services, vehicle diagnostics and directions. OnStar equipped vehicles with an active subscription will also contact representatives based in Warren, Michigan; Charlotte, North Carolina; Makati, Philippines; and Oshawa, Ontario[citation needed] in the event of a collision in which the airbags are deployed. Newer models (on vehicles from approximately 2006 and later) will contact OnStar in any type of collision regardless of airbag deployment. This new service is called Advanced Automatic Crash Response (AACR) and is designed to assist emergency response efforts.
When a driver presses the Red OnStar Emergency button or Blue OnStar button, current vehicle data and the user's GPS location are immediately gathered. This information is then sent to OnStar. OnStar Emergency calls are routed to the OnStar Center with highest priority. Three centers exist to receive emergency calls: Warren, Michigan; Charlotte, North Carolina and Ontario, Canada, and all centers are open 24 hours a day.
All OnStar equipped vehicles have Stolen Vehicle Tracking, which can provide the police with the vehicle's exact location, speed and direction of movement.
Starting 2009, General Motors began equipping some new vehicles with Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. This feature allows OnStar to remotely slow down the stolen vehicle. The service is also expected to help reduce the risk of property damage, serious injuries or fatalities resulting from high-speed pursuits of stolen vehicles. Customers may opt out of that function. The first successful use of this service occurred in October 2009 when a stolen Chevrolet Tahoe was recovered and its suspected thief was apprehended.
Also in 2009, General Motors began equipping some new vehicles with Remote Ignition Block, allowing OnStar to remotely deactivate the ignition so when the stolen vehicle is shut off, it cannot be restarted.
All Stolen Vehicle Assistance services (Stolen Vehicle Tracking, Stolen Vehicle Slowdown and Remote Ignition Block) can be requested by the OnStar subscriber, but OnStar will not activate them until confirming with the police that the vehicle has been reported as stolen.
OnStar subscribers may be eligible for anti-theft and low mileage insurance discounts. Since OnStar can help with the recovery of a stolen vehicle, some insurance companies recognize this and offer a discount. Also, with certain insurance companies (for example, GMAC Insurance) and with subscriber permission, OnStar will send the insurance company the vehicle's odometer reading every month. If the subscriber qualifies as a low-mileage driver, they may be eligible for an insurance discount.
Even if the vehicle is OnStar equipped, no OnStar services are available until the system is activated. Vehicle owners can choose between two plans:
- Safe & Sound: $18.95/mth ($24.95 in Canada), which includes Automatic Crash Response, Stolen Vehicle Assistance, Roadside Assistance, Remote Door Unlock, Remote Horn and Light Flashing, Red Button Emergency Services and OnStar Remote Vehicle Diagnostics
- Directions & Connections: $28.90/mth ($39.90 in Canada), includes all services in the Safe & Sound plan, plus turn-by-turn navigation
History
OnStar was formed in 1995 as a collaboration between GM, Electronic Data Systems and Hughes Electronics Corporation. Each of the founding companies brought a specific area of expertise to the enterprise: GM brought vehicle design and integration and a distribution system of millions of vehicles, EDS brought much of the systems development and information management and customer service technologies, while Hughes contributed communications and satellite technology and automotive electronics.
In 1996, GM North America Operations President Rick Wagoner officially launched OnStar at the Chicago Auto Show. OnStar delivered its first product and service to the market in 11 months, in the fall of 1996 for model year 1997 Cadillac DeVille, Cadillac Seville and Cadillac Eldorado models. From 2002 to 2005, OnStar service was available on vehicles produced by Acura, Audi, Isuzu, Subaru and Volkswagen through a licensing agreement.
In April 2006, GM notified approximately 500,000 of their OnStar customers who had analog service that their service would be terminated effective December 31, 2007, because starting February 18, 2008 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would no longer require US cell phone systems to operate in analog mode. Customers who purchased a prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable 1-year OnStar Safe & Sound subscription were scheduled to receive an equipment upgrade. If the vehicle is from the 2003, 2004, or 2005 model year, an adapter costing approximately US$200 (includes a one year subscription) can be installed at the customer's expense. If it is older, it will simply no longer be usable.
A law firm in Pennsylvania representing some of the affected customers sought to have a class certified for a class action lawsuit for damages claimed in the cancellation of OnStar service.
On December 19, 2011, GM said OnStar would join with Verizon Wireless to offer video chat and streaming content to automobile passengers.
China
In December 2009, Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., a joint venture between General Motors, SAIC Group and SGM (Shanghai GM), began offering its services in China. It is available on select Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet vehicles and China Telecom is the wireless network provider throughout China. The service will be available throughout mainland China and will be first launched in Mandarin Chinese.
Advocacy
OnStar advocates tout it as an essential safety tool. GM commercials have compared it to seatbelts and airbags, as the next major technology for safe driving. The benefits, they say, include its ability to aid police in tracking down stolen vehicles; contacting emergency medical services in case of an accident (should the driver request this or be non-responsive); notifying drivers of potentially dangerous mechanical problems; emails are sent to owners that give a diagnostics of their vehicle every month if subscribed to; and unlocking doors for drivers (after verifying authorization over the phone) should their keys be misplaced or locked inside their car.
OnStar's basic subscription also includes Roadside assistance, as well HFC (Hands Free Calling) which is integrated into the OnStar system and operates in the same way as a regular cell phone does except that it is operated through voice recognition.
Automatic Crash Response allows emergency advisors to provide emergency medical services (EMS) with additional crash information such as rollover status, direction of impact, which airbags have deployed (front, side etc.,) and the Delta-V (change in velocity) Force which is a medical measure of the intensity of an impact. All this information allows EMS to respond to the crash with appropriate equipment.
Recently, OnStar has changed its terms and conditions to allow sale of vehicle location and speeds to interested third parties such as law enforcement agencies, which has been criticized in the comp.risks forum.
Use as surveillance device
It is theoretically possible for OnStar to be remotely activated by malicious third parties or under government order. This would enable third parties to track the location of the car, along with the ability to listen to the contents of any conversations carried on by the occupants within the car without their consent. However the FBI has been denied the ability to use this as it disables OnStar's safety features as determined by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In its document of privacy practices, OnStar states that it is not possible for them to listen to or monitor conversations in your car without you knowing it. The hardware is designed so that when an advisor calls into your car, a light flashes, a ring tone is heard, and the radio will mute.
In 2011 OnStar did announce that it would start retaining all the information collected by the GPS and internal system, so that it could be sold to third parties. Although this data is supposed to be “anonymized”, it remains unclear exactly what they mean by this as it is extremely difficult to anonymize GPS data
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