It was pitched – as such things are always pitched – as a saaaaaaaaaaaaafety measure. "Dangerous drunks" would not be able to drive and dangerous high-speed chases would end because they'd never begin. The cop could just throw the switch – meaning, transmit a signal – commanding the car to turn itself off.

Of course, that also meant the government could turn off a vehicle equipped with this "switch" at any time.  As for example during the next "pandemic" or perhaps the first "climate lockdown."

It is important to understand a few things. First, that it is not a switch. If only it were. Switches are easily by passed. Think of the switch that turns the lights on – and off – in the room you're in. Here a switch is a helpful thing because you probably want to be able turn off the lights when they're not needed. But what if you did not want them off? What if you wanted it so that they could not be turned off? Easy. Just remove the switch and wire the light directly to the current so it's always on.

Can you do the same with a "kill switch" equipped vehicle? Unfortunately, no. Chiefly because it's not a switch, at least not in the sense usually conveyed by that word. Indeed, it is precisely the absence of a switch that presents the great difficulty. An example of a switch that can be defeated is the one all new riding mowers have that will shut off the engine if the operator gets off the mower (and also if he shifts his weight, which almost everyone finds incredibly annoying). A related switch will turn off the mower's blades if the operator reverses the mower.

These switches are simple circuit interrupters. The one that shuts off the engine if you step off the mower is usually under the seat and works via weight (yours). When you sit down, the circuit is complete and the engine runs. More finely, its electrical system works; spark is delivered to the engine, which ignites the fuel and causes the engine to run. When you get off the mower – or. your weight shifts a bit – the circuit is broken and the engine cuts off.

To remedy this issue all you have to do is defeat the circuit interruptor, which is typically a matter of making sure the contacts don't separate irrespective of whether you're sitting on the seat and no matter how much your weight shifts.

Vehicles don't have that kind of switch. If they did it would be a trivial thing to defeat them. It isn't because what you're dealing with is a virtual leash rather than a switch. The leash is invisible, which is why most people do not see it and thus most people aren't aware of it. Most people are also unaware that their vehicle is already tethered – even though it's not 2026 yet.