[Pereira:] Welcome back to NEW DAY. Cars that can talk to each other. Really not that long ago, that would have just sounded like science fiction, right? But the federal government is now pushing from mandate for all new cars to be equipped with special technology that would allow them to communicate certain data that they believe could help prevent facet. So, we bring in Jim Meigs, the lucky man, editor-in-chief of "Popular Mechanics" magazine. What a gig. First of all, good morning. Let's talk about this. Break it down. How would they actually get these cars? We know the cars right now have so much technology already on board. How would they communicate with one another?
[Jim Meigs, Editor-in-chief Of Popular Mechanics:] Basically, there would be like a little radio in your car that would communicate to other cars nearby on the road. So, let's say you're coming around a bend, and all of a sudden, all the cars in front of you out of sight come to a stop. You get an alert that says basically slow down now and you can avoid an accident. At first, it just might be something that would be an alert to the driver, but eventually, this could be part of a system would actually let cars drive autonomously or you could take your hands off the wheel and the car will drive itself.
[Pereira:] And what's amazing about this, transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx, saying yesterday that they think, they believe, they're putting a lot of faith in this, it could prevent 80 percent of crashes, ones that are not related to DUI, obviously. That's pretty astounding.
[Meigs:] And that actually is quite incredible, but it won't happen overnight, because you need to have some critical mass of cars. It doesn't have to be all of them, but you need enough cars communicating to each other
[Pereira:] Sure. You can't just have one or two.
[Meigs:] Exactly.
[Bolduan:] So, what do you think of it? I mean, it's kind of like, as a gear head yourself [07:23:56] What do you think of this idea? Do you think that it's a good idea or does it take away the beauty of driving a car, kind of take it out at the driver's hand?
[Meigs:] That's a question that all car lovers are asking right now. And, the answer is a little bit of both. If it becomes a heavy-handed system that steps in and takes control of the car from you all the time, obviously, nobody wants that.
[Cuomo:] It's an easy line to cross. I was in this buddy's Mercedes and he has this device that tells you when the car in front of you is getting too close and it makes the steering wheel vibrate.
[Meigs:] Right.
[Cuomo:] And if you go onto the line of the dividing thing It makes a different sound.
[Meigs:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] It was kind of annoying.
[Meigs:] When you get used to that, actually, that can be a real that can be a good feature. A lot of people like those features and different kinds of
[Cuomo:] But then do you start relying on it and stop using your head?
[Meigs:] This is a question you have with autopilot in airplanes. You know, anytime you bring in a new technology, it might make things safer, but also, it might open the door to other new issues that we need to focus on.
[Pereira:] So, usability, safety, obviously a big concern, as you can predict, is privacy.
[Meigs:] Here's the question. Who's going to own this data? You know, if the cars are just talking to each other, speed, location, this is a good thing, and we'll definitely make car safer. But if you're connected to a broader system, if it's stored maybe
[Cuomo:] What's the fear? Play out the anxiety.
[Meigs:] You go a little too fast and all of a sudden, you get a ticket in the mail. There's a record of everywhere you've driven for the last two years somewhere in some file. Now, they're saying this won't happen, but I think, you know, after all the NSA scandal, certainly a proper mechanics, we cover this privacy question all the time. People are suspicious. They don't completely trust any authority to not to use that data or misuse that data.
[Pereira:] Yes. How far out we're looking, 10 years?
[Meigs:] They're saying they want to get the rules written by the end of the Obama administration. That's not aggressive at all. In fact, the car makers have been asking for guidance on this. They're ready to go.
[Cuomo:] They already have it, though, a little bit. I mean, you already have some
[Meigs:] There's two different kinds of systems. One is based in the car using cell phone technology and radar and other things. This would be a new communications actually, they've set aside some bandwidth for this special type of communication. But it would probably integrate with those other systems and become a kind of whole
[Pereira:] I want to come I want to switch jobs with you or spend a day in your life and we'll go test it out together. How about that?
[Meigs:] You got it.
[Pereira:] Jim Meigs from "Popular Mechanics," thanks so much for walking us through some of this. V to V and what it's called. Time now for our "Must-See Moment." After a season full of bad weather, Kentucky principal found a way to get a little creative with an unusually dull announcement. Grab a snuggie and watch TV or maybe read. That is Stevens Elementary School principal, James Del Widely says after almost ten closings or delays, he was trying to put a bit of an inspiring twist.
[Cuomo:] A play on what song? Well done. Well done.
[Pereira:] He got some help from one of the drama teachers for the call and they hit the high note.
[Bolduan:] That's what I was going to say. Applause for the high note. I think we should give him the slow clap on that one, right?
[Pereira:] I love it. Nice.
[Cuomo:] I like that one. I like that he had on the hockey jersey too. The other guy
[Bolduan:] You didn't see they also had snuggies that they're
[Cuomo:] Where were those teachers when I was in grade school? I had nuns who had a little bit of that All right. Coming up on NEW DAY, the desperate search for a Virginia police captain who disappeared last week. Could two persons of interest hold the key to the mystery? We'll take you through it.
[Bolduan:] Plus, a fisherman says he was lost at sea for more than a year turning up on a remote island 5,000 miles from where he began. But is this castaway telling the truth? [07:41:59]