Road Rage Goes Digital

McIntyre and a fellow San Jose, Calif.-area commuter grew increasingly aggravated last year with single drivers who abused the carpool lanes on major highways in the area. Thus, the two men started a Web site, dubbed CarpoolCheats.org, to document the transgressions of fellow drivers. McIntyre and his partner began bringing a digital camera with them on their morning commute to snap pictures of drivers who were using the carpool lane illegally, along with their cars and license plates. Some photos even showed angry drivers yelling and making obscene gestures for the camera, according to reports.

The two men would then post the pictures on the Web, and although the pictures cannot be used by authorities to fine the drivers, they certainly offer embarrassing reprimands for carpool-lane abusers. Unfortunately, just as CarpoolCheats.org began to take off, the Web site went out of service "due to several threatening communications from an individual or individuals presently (but not for long) unknown to us," the site states.

While a clever idea, CarpoolCheats.org is the latest example of the growing concern over digital voyeurism. In fact, new legislation was recently introduced in Congress that would ban the use of digital cameras in certain places, such as locker rooms.

At the very least, however, Web sites such as CarpoolCheats.org should make you think twice before flipping someone off while driving to work.