WSJ - A 'Black Box' for Your Car

[Klaus]

A 'Black Box' for Your Car

Safety Board Says All New Vehicles
Should Have Devices That Record
What Went Wrong in a Crash
By AMY SCHATZ
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 4, 2004; Page D1

The National Transportation Safety Board yesterday recommended that black boxes be required in all new cars and trucks.

Although many drivers don't realize it, most new cars already come equipped with them. The current generation of devices mostly tells whether an air bag inflated before a crash, but more advanced ones also record a host of other data, including the speed of the car, when the driver started to brake, and whether the headlights and driver's seat belt were on.

Currently, about 30 million passenger cars and trucks on the road have black boxes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. As many as 90% of all 2004 model vehicles, including all General Motors Co. and most Ford Motor Co. cars, have some sort of recorder, and an even greater percentage will have them in 2005. They are generally part of the front air-bag system.

However, the data collected from these systems vary widely, and because there's no standard technology for accessing the boxes, crash-scene investigators have had difficulty recovering information that could help them determine why an accident occurred.

In addition, the recommendations are raising concerns among privacy advocates, who say the devices record too much information without the driver's knowledge.

In June, the NHTSA proposed standards for all black boxes, requiring them to record 42 separate pieces of information about the car's performance in the final seconds before an accident by 2008. The standards would also require auto makers to make it easier for crash investigators and researchers to access the information and make auto makers inform consumers the systems are in their vehicles.

The federal auto-safety regulator hasn't mandated that the recorders be installed, saying it isn't necessary because auto makers are putting them in most new cars. However, the NTSB, an independent agency that investigates transportation accidents and makes safety recommendations, disagrees, saying that without a mandate, there can be no guarantee that cars will be equipped with the black boxes.

The black boxes on cars are far less sophisticated than those found on commercial airliners and store much less information. They don't, for example, record audio from inside the car. Nor are they actually boxes, but tiny modules attached to electronic sensors embedded in the car that help trigger air bags. Those sensors can also store information about the vehicle's performance in the seconds before a crash.

Because the technology is relatively new and insurers haven't seen how black boxes affect claims history, they haven't had an impact on auto-insurance rates, according to an Insurance Information Institute spokeswoman.

Privacy advocates and consumer groups worry about who owns the information gathered by the recorders. Although police and safety investigators say the information is helpful in reconstructing accidents, it could also be used against drivers in court by insurance companies or lawyers.

In January, California became the first state to regulate black boxes, requiring all cars made after June 2004 to contain information for drivers on the types of information being recorded by their vehicles. The law was passed because of privacy concerns. The law also says consumers control the release of that information, except in a few situations, such as a court order.

"At a minimum, there ought to be something like the California law that says the owners of vehicles have to be told that the recorders are in their cars and should be able to disable them," says Barry Steinhardt, director of technology for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Ford began installing the systems in 1997 on the Econoline full-size van, although they were originally designed for internal use at Ford, so technicians could monitor the vehicle's performance in a crash. "We just wanted to make sure we recorded some information to make sure our vehicles' systems performed correctly in the event of a crash," said Rick Ruth, a Ford design analyst.

Today, most Ford cars now come equipped with sensors that record information on the vehicle's deceleration and air-bag deployment in a crash.

A few Ford vehicles, including the Lincoln LS, F series pickups, Thunderbird and Explorer, have a more advanced recorder that's part of an electronic throttle system that also stores vehicle speed and braking information for the last five seconds before a crash. In 2005, Ford's Navigator, Expedition, E series vans and Aviator will also have the system.

All General Motors vehicles have had the recorders since 2000, the company says.

The safety board made the recommendation Tuesday during a hearing about a 2003 crash involving an 86-year-old driver who lost control of his car and drove into a farmer's market in Los Angeles, killing 10 people and injuring 63 others. The driver's lawyers refused to allow NTSB investigators to interview him, since there are several lawsuits pending, according to the safety board. If the man's 1992 Buick LeSabre had come equipped with an event data recorder, investigators might have been able to explain why the accident happened, said Joe Osterman, the NTSB's director of highway safety.

[Klaus]

A 'Black Box' for Your Car

Safety Board Says All New Vehicles
Should Have Devices That Record
What Went Wrong in a Crash
By AMY SCHATZ
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 4, 2004; Page D1

The National Transportation Safety Board yesterday recommended that black boxes be required in all new cars and trucks.

Although many drivers don't realize it, most new cars already come equipped with them. The current generation of devices mostly tells whether an air bag inflated before a crash, but more advanced ones also record a host of other data, including the speed of the car, when the driver started to brake, and whether the headlights and driver's seat belt were on.

Currently, about 30 million passenger cars and trucks on the road have black boxes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. As many as 90% of all 2004 model vehicles, including all General Motors Co. and most Ford Motor Co. cars, have some sort of recorder, and an even greater percentage will have them in 2005. They are generally part of the front air-bag system.

However, the data collected from these systems vary widely, and because there's no standard technology for accessing the boxes, crash-scene investigators have had difficulty recovering information that could help them determine why an accident occurred.

In addition, the recommendations are raising concerns among privacy advocates, who say the devices record too much information without the driver's knowledge.

In June, the NHTSA proposed standards for all black boxes, requiring them to record 42 separate pieces of information about the car's performance in the final seconds before an accident by 2008. The standards would also require auto makers to make it easier for crash investigators and researchers to access the information and make auto makers inform consumers the systems are in their vehicles.

The federal auto-safety regulator hasn't mandated that the recorders be installed, saying it isn't necessary because auto makers are putting them in most new cars. However, the NTSB, an independent agency that investigates transportation accidents and makes safety recommendations, disagrees, saying that without a mandate, there can be no guarantee that cars will be equipped with the black boxes.

The black boxes on cars are far less sophisticated than those found on commercial airliners and store much less information. They don't, for example, record audio from inside the car. Nor are they actually boxes, but tiny modules attached to electronic sensors embedded in the car that help trigger air bags. Those sensors can also store information about the vehicle's performance in the seconds before a crash.

Because the technology is relatively new and insurers haven't seen how black boxes affect claims history, they haven't had an impact on auto-insurance rates, according to an Insurance Information Institute spokeswoman.

Privacy advocates and consumer groups worry about who owns the information gathered by the recorders. Although police and safety investigators say the information is helpful in reconstructing accidents, it could also be used against drivers in court by insurance companies or lawyers.

In January, California became the first state to regulate black boxes, requiring all cars made after June 2004 to contain information for drivers on the types of information being recorded by their vehicles. The law was passed because of privacy concerns. The law also says consumers control the release of that information, except in a few situations, such as a court order.

"At a minimum, there ought to be something like the California law that says the owners of vehicles have to be told that the recorders are in their cars and should be able to disable them," says Barry Steinhardt, director of technology for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Ford began installing the systems in 1997 on the Econoline full-size van, although they were originally designed for internal use at Ford, so technicians could monitor the vehicle's performance in a crash. "We just wanted to make sure we recorded some information to make sure our vehicles' systems performed correctly in the event of a crash," said Rick Ruth, a Ford design analyst.

Today, most Ford cars now come equipped with sensors that record information on the vehicle's deceleration and air-bag deployment in a crash.

A few Ford vehicles, including the Lincoln LS, F series pickups, Thunderbird and Explorer, have a more advanced recorder that's part of an electronic throttle system that also stores vehicle speed and braking information for the last five seconds before a crash. In 2005, Ford's Navigator, Expedition, E series vans and Aviator will also have the system.

All General Motors vehicles have had the recorders since 2000, the company says.

The safety board made the recommendation Tuesday during a hearing about a 2003 crash involving an 86-year-old driver who lost control of his car and drove into a farmer's market in Los Angeles, killing 10 people and injuring 63 others. The driver's lawyers refused to allow NTSB investigators to interview him, since there are several lawsuits pending, according to the safety board. If the man's 1992 Buick LeSabre had come equipped with an event data recorder, investigators might have been able to explain why the accident happened, said Joe Osterman, the NTSB's director of highway safety.

[Klaus]

A 'Black Box' for Your Car

Safety Board Says All New Vehicles
Should Have Devices That Record
What Went Wrong in a Crash
By AMY SCHATZ
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 4, 2004; Page D1

The National Transportation Safety Board yesterday recommended that black boxes be required in all new cars and trucks.

Although many drivers don't realize it, most new cars already come equipped with them. The current generation of devices mostly tells whether an air bag inflated before a crash, but more advanced ones also record a host of other data, including the speed of the car, when the driver started to brake, and whether the headlights and driver's seat belt were on.

Currently, about 30 million passenger cars and trucks on the road have black boxes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. As many as 90% of all 2004 model vehicles, including all General Motors Co. and most Ford Motor Co. cars, have some sort of recorder, and an even greater percentage will have them in 2005. They are generally part of the front air-bag system.

However, the data collected from these systems vary widely, and because there's no standard technology for accessing the boxes, crash-scene investigators have had difficulty recovering information that could help them determine why an accident occurred.

In addition, the recommendations are raising concerns among privacy advocates, who say the devices record too much information without the driver's knowledge.

In June, the NHTSA proposed standards for all black boxes, requiring them to record 42 separate pieces of information about the car's performance in the final seconds before an accident by 2008. The standards would also require auto makers to make it easier for crash investigators and researchers to access the information and make auto makers inform consumers the systems are in their vehicles.

The federal auto-safety regulator hasn't mandated that the recorders be installed, saying it isn't necessary because auto makers are putting them in most new cars. However, the NTSB, an independent agency that investigates transportation accidents and makes safety recommendations, disagrees, saying that without a mandate, there can be no guarantee that cars will be equipped with the black boxes.

The black boxes on cars are far less sophisticated than those found on commercial airliners and store much less information. They don't, for example, record audio from inside the car. Nor are they actually boxes, but tiny modules attached to electronic sensors embedded in the car that help trigger air bags. Those sensors can also store information about the vehicle's performance in the seconds before a crash.

Because the technology is relatively new and insurers haven't seen how black boxes affect claims history, they haven't had an impact on auto-insurance rates, according to an Insurance Information Institute spokeswoman.

Privacy advocates and consumer groups worry about who owns the information gathered by the recorders. Although police and safety investigators say the information is helpful in reconstructing accidents, it could also be used against drivers in court by insurance companies or lawyers.

In January, California became the first state to regulate black boxes, requiring all cars made after June 2004 to contain information for drivers on the types of information being recorded by their vehicles. The law was passed because of privacy concerns. The law also says consumers control the release of that information, except in a few situations, such as a court order.

"At a minimum, there ought to be something like the California law that says the owners of vehicles have to be told that the recorders are in their cars and should be able to disable them," says Barry Steinhardt, director of technology for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Ford began installing the systems in 1997 on the Econoline full-size van, although they were originally designed for internal use at Ford, so technicians could monitor the vehicle's performance in a crash. "We just wanted to make sure we recorded some information to make sure our vehicles' systems performed correctly in the event of a crash," said Rick Ruth, a Ford design analyst.

Today, most Ford cars now come equipped with sensors that record information on the vehicle's deceleration and air-bag deployment in a crash.

A few Ford vehicles, including the Lincoln LS, F series pickups, Thunderbird and Explorer, have a more advanced recorder that's part of an electronic throttle system that also stores vehicle speed and braking information for the last five seconds before a crash. In 2005, Ford's Navigator, Expedition, E series vans and Aviator will also have the system.

All General Motors vehicles have had the recorders since 2000, the company says.

The safety board made the recommendation Tuesday during a hearing about a 2003 crash involving an 86-year-old driver who lost control of his car and drove into a farmer's market in Los Angeles, killing 10 people and injuring 63 others. The driver's lawyers refused to allow NTSB investigators to interview him, since there are several lawsuits pending, according to the safety board. If the man's 1992 Buick LeSabre had come equipped with an event data recorder, investigators might have been able to explain why the accident happened, said Joe Osterman, the NTSB's director of highway safety.

[zacknolden]

Originally Posted by Klaus

A 'Black Box' for Your Car

Safety Board Says All New Vehicles
Should Have Devices That Record
What Went Wrong in a Crash
By AMY SCHATZ
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 4, 2004; Page D1

Currently, about 30 million passenger cars and trucks on the road have black boxes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. As many as 90% of all 2004 model vehicles, including all General Motors Co. and most Ford Motor Co. cars, have some sort of recorder, and an even greater percentage will have them in 2005. They are generally part of the front air-bag system.

Today, most Ford cars now come equipped with sensors that record information on the vehicle's deceleration and air-bag deployment in a crash.

A few Ford vehicles, including the Lincoln parts LS, F series pickups, Thunderbird and Explorer, have a more advanced recorder that's part of an electronic throttle system that also stores vehicle speed and braking information for the last five seconds before a crash. In 2005, Ford's Navigator, Expedition, E series vans and Aviator will also have the system.

All General Motors vehicles have had the recorders since 2000, the company says.

I wonder if there are any modern types pf this stuffs right now. My Lincoln needs to be remodelled & get one.

[zacknolden]

Originally Posted by Klaus

A 'Black Box' for Your Car

Safety Board Says All New Vehicles
Should Have Devices That Record
What Went Wrong in a Crash
By AMY SCHATZ
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 4, 2004; Page D1

Currently, about 30 million passenger cars and trucks on the road have black boxes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. As many as 90% of all 2004 model vehicles, including all General Motors Co. and most Ford Motor Co. cars, have some sort of recorder, and an even greater percentage will have them in 2005. They are generally part of the front air-bag system.

Today, most Ford cars now come equipped with sensors that record information on the vehicle's deceleration and air-bag deployment in a crash.

A few Ford vehicles, including the Lincoln parts LS, F series pickups, Thunderbird and Explorer, have a more advanced recorder that's part of an electronic throttle system that also stores vehicle speed and braking information for the last five seconds before a crash. In 2005, Ford's Navigator, Expedition, E series vans and Aviator will also have the system.

All General Motors vehicles have had the recorders since 2000, the company says.

I am now starting my Lincoln project & still looking out for some newer details about some mods on this model.

[wpage]

This will be another way you can get in trouble. If your vehicle gets tangled up with the wrong situation...