Black box data recorders for cars are nothing to fear
November 2, 2009
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If cars were fitted with ‘black box’ data recorders similar to those installed in aircraft, drivers would be 10 per cent less likely to be involved in a fatal collision and their repair bills would fall by as much as 25 per cent, according to a major study commissioned by the European commission.
In the event of a crash, the in-car black boxes would record the vehicle’s speed and location and driver input, information that would help both police and insurance companies to establish liability and expose bogus claims.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Black box data recorders for cars will reduce deaths and injuries on the roads and bring down insurance premiums, yet motoring organisations and government departments alike have been quick to make spurious excuses for why mandatory technology of this type for cars would not work.”
In-car black box data recorders – questions and answers
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What about my privacy?
The black box never holds more than 45 seconds of information at one time. If an airbag is deployed or the vehicle makes an extreme driving manoeuvre, then the data for 30 seconds before and 15 seconds after the event is captured. If nothing sets off the black box, then the information is overwritten and no record of the car’s journey or the way it was driven remains.
How much will it cost?
Black boxes for cars currently cost from about £250, but as with most digital technology the price is expected to fall even if the entire cost was passed on to the driver, reduced insurance premiums would quickly pay for the installation.
Has anyone tried this already?
The technology was fitted as standard to over 5 million of the cars sold in America last year and when the Metropolitan police fitted black boxes to 3,500 of its vehicles, the force saved £2 million in repair costs.In Japan, Honda offers a black box as an option on a dozen of its models. The price is £259 plus fitting. The black box comprises a tiny digital camera attached to the back of the rear-view mirror which constantly records footage of the journey.
