Black Boxes for Cars

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration takes into consideration the possibility that all vehicles to have an event data recorder, commonly known as a “black box” and similar to those used on aircraft. This device should record car inputs and in case of an accident and should provide information and technical data about the final moments before impact.

Using “black box” on cars would help not only the police in finding out what caused an accident, but also the insurance companies and automakers. In order to obtain accurate information, the driver shouldn’t be able to turn off the device or know more about this than what the owner’s manual provide.

Some car manufacturers use this type of device since late 2006. General Motors has been a leader in event data recorder technology, installing them in nearly all vehicles with airbags since the early 1990s. Therefore, federal rules already exist to outline what information should be recorded and its use, in order to increase vehicle’s safety.

The proposal of using such a “black box” device for all the vehicles is expected sometimes this year, including more information about exactly what data would be collected.

What do you think about that: who will benefit most from this measure?

[Source: Wired, Photo]

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