Comments on: “Hit-Run” Drivers Identified by Disks Discharged by Car

By: docca

docca — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:16:29 +0000

I remember reading that Ford had some pretty nasty problems with DataDots. Basically the whole thing would become a mess in the factory, because it was too easy to get “cross-polination”, i.e. one car getting DataDots from other cars that passed through the same assembly line.

But it seems their marketing department is just fine, as a quick search reveals it’s being used by other manufacturers.

By: S Jones

S Jones — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:16:25 +0000

ratpack7 is right. Not only are micro-tags a viable idea but have been used as a car theft deterrent since 2004 and before.

The DataDot company in Australia makes grain-of-sand sized tags, each laser-etched with the vehicle VIN. You spray 10,000 of those around the car so that they are bound to rub off on a thief where they can be detected by UV light, collected and read under a portable microscope.

You can buy a kit of 500 DataDots (with a unique ID of course) for $30US.
http://www.datadotusa.com/Merc.....ry_Code=DK

By: rsterling78

rsterling78 — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:51:35 +0000

I love the picture. The driver seems totally unfazed by having hit a man with his car, a nonchalant smile on his face as glances back at his victim.

By: Charlene

Charlene — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:20:21 +0000

They aren’t, but a lot of them – where I live, 85% – are committed using stolen cars. This only tells the police who owned the car.

By: hwertz

hwertz — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:18:42 +0000

If my car had one of these, I would have shot all my disks last winter. We got over 4 feet of snow, and I drive through the ghetto so it wasn’t plowed! I assume since I got enough pressure on the front bumper to crack it that I would have set off the dispenser.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:08:07 +0000

“…to learn the name of the culprit the victim needs only pick up a disk.”

As long as he aint dead.

By: nlpnt

nlpnt — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:47:21 +0000

Why not just look for the car with the pedestrian-shaped dent in the hood? Maybe not with a ‘31 Cadillac, but certainly most modern cars.

By: ratpack7

ratpack7 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:41:17 +0000

P.S. most hit and runs are not planed ahead of time.

By: ratpack7

ratpack7 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:39:03 +0000

you know with a little up date this might not be a bad idea. they have designed tazers that when fired leaves micro tags on the person it was used on. Of course you would have to make it not able to be disabled. maybe put the micro tags (with the VIN of the vehicle) in the bumper mounts so to disable it you would have remove the bumper and find a new way to attach it. I don’t think many people would go thought all that just on the off chance they hit someone and then drove away.