We've hit on this from time to time, but it is now becoming more commonplace - Black Boxes.

So how do you feel?
What are your thoughts on having your black box read at a traffic stop or after an accident?
Having your warranty cancelled because your black box revealed mistreatment?
Receiving a citation when you turn in your rental car for speeding?

Let's hear it!

Black boxes for vehicles urged - NTSB calls for data recorders.

 

I say no. It was designed for troubleshooting, not as a smoking gun. If it ever comes down to what you describe, I'll disable mine .

 

I am torn.

I actually don't mind them being there if the data is used to help determine what caused a crash, and genuinely helped the manufacturer improve their products and make them safer.

But, at the same time, I feel they should use their own company-owned cars to accomplish this, and not force it on people in the cars the purchase and own.

Also, while I am all for anything that helps deter moron motorists who weave in and out of traffic, tailgate, cut people off, etc... I am not crazy about my car "snitching" on me if I was going 70mph in a 65mph zone... so some boundries need to be set.

 

I thought that all GM cars from the past few years store the last 5 seconds of information before the air bags go off. So wouldn't that be enough of the little black boxes to see what is going on?

 

How does the BB or OBD know if you are enjoying some bracket racing on a Friday night, or going stop-light to stop-light on Main St. when you do 105mph in 13.5 seconds? There's a HUGE difference there to me.

Better yet, how does the rental car agency know if it was me or one of my 3 other travel companions (who are all registered to drive the car while we are on our week-long trip) who went 80 in a 70 zone 4 days ago? (Nevermind that we were passing a dumptruck full of gravel, preventing the insurance company from replacing a windshield or doing stone chip repairs on the front of the car?!?! )

I guess for me, it boils down to not having the entire picture of a situation in that little image of time. The BB has brake, gas, speed, engine RPM, and some other data that is concrete, but it DOESN'T say that you hit the gas to swerve out of the way of an 18 wheeler that kept on driving. It doesn't say that you hit the tree at 35 to avoid a child who ranout in front of you. It doesn't say that you simply got lost and didn't even know you crossed a state line until you got to the next town. You know what I mean? I feel like it leaves you, as a driver, "guilty until you prove yourself innocent".

In honesty, I guess the other part of it is that I simply don't want to get busted for an occasional walk on the wild side. I'm no street-racing demon of any sort, but I don't mind a quick jaunt up into triple-digits when the conditions are right and the open road is vacant. The old man calls that "blowing the soot out of the old POS!" It makes them run better!
(Try telling the cop you were only performing a maintenance procedure to improve fuel efficiency... running 125 in a 70! )

 

That's simple. Cameras. And microphones.

 

I voted YES, just for the heck of it but I honestly see very little need for these boxes. The only place where this becomes useful is if there is a crash, both drivers die and no witnesses to say what happened.

But do we really need to investigate? Do we really need to determine what exactly happened and in what order? It's not like this is an airplane where they have to determine whether it was air traffic controller's fault, pilot's fault, or airplane malfunction.

Also, I doubt these black boxes will be read at a time other than accidents. Most likely it will simply collect data for the last x seconds prior to the crash. And while these boxes cannot tell 'why' you swerved (to avoid a child, say), your testimony will. And if you're dead, I'm sure it will not be simply a matter of "he swerved for the purpose of crashing."

 

Hell no. Not only does the system not know context, the potential for abuse is enormous.

Camera and microphones, even both inside and outside the car, wouldn't work. Think mud. Think sensor failure. Think lack of resolution. Think hard drive capacity. Think cost. And then think, after all is said and done, there will still be blind spots and areas of ambiguity.

And abuse? Your car stops. A friendly message comes up on the nav screen that instructs you to enter your credit card number to pay for your 55-in-a-35 violation. Of course, they don't care you're in the middle of South Central LA . . .

No thanks.

 

I voted no. Heck, why not have the government place video cameras in my house so they can see if someone breaks in and robs me.

 

They don't really bother me just because I have faith in the hacker community to come up with a way to defeat this before I would buy a car with this type of technology. In techonology, when you make a better mouse trap, the opposing side just makes a better mouse. There is no "end game" here. It's just a technological tit for tat.

That being said, I know that when this was first brought up years ago, I read some very disturbing things. One in particular was about the roadside tattletale. Basically, the EPA, police or <insert hated government agency here> could post a box by the side of the road to take readings from passing cars equipped with the then called "OBD3" box. They could get emissions info, speed, mileage, etc. just by you passing by one of these boxes. Then you would get a letter in the mail a few weeks later telling you that your catalytic convereter needed to be replaced or you would be fined.

I think the above scenario would be a worst-case, but it does give you an idea of where things could be headed. Again, I'm not overly worried about it. It would take quite a long time before you would see anything like this, just like it's taken quite a while to get the photo radar out there. Even then, you know where the photo radar is and you just drive accordingly.

There's my $.02.

 

Ditto

unfortunately I have a feeling there will eventually be a law regarding these things. just like its illegal to remove your cat converter, it will be illegal to remove or tamper with your black box.

 

So, by requiring us all to have black boxes in all new cars, we can prevent people who shouldnt HAVE a drivers license from getting in cars that dont have this tech, and killing people right?

Gotta love California's holier than thou "We know whats good for you better than you do" routine.

 

I voted "Don't Know, Don't Care." What the government should really be doing to improve safety is to spend money on making roads more safe. The automanufacturers are doing their part, its time for the gov't to step in and make roads more accident-proof and increasing the difficulty (or lack there of) of lisense testing. This is money that could have been spent better elsewhere...once again...

 

I don't mind it storing the info from the time of the crash, or just leading up to it (10 secs or so), but not something that is going to save data for miles and miles ago, or days ago, or whatever. We already know what causes crashes...mechanical failure, pilot error, or just being flat out being out of luck (the kid running out into the street scenario). You can make cars as safe as they can be, make tons of airbags, active handling, abs, tcs, and all the other things that make the machine a safer place to be standard equipment...I'm fine w/ that. What really needs to be done is to shift the police emphasis from targeting speeders on open highways, to getting out of the shade, and from under the bridges, and START CRUISING THE STREETS, and shut down all these crazy people who do reckless lane changing, red light running, street racing, and bikes that ride down the highway in a perpetual state of wheelieness . Thats what causes your wrecks from a driver standpoint. Not everybody going 5-10 over the limit.

And I agree w/ the previous posters remarks about more difficult licensing standards. At least a 1/3 of the time, I have to honk at bozos cutting into my lane on a double left because the don't know, or aren't aware that there is another lane of traffic turning w/ them, even though there are 2 arrows, and signs w/ 2 left turn lanes. Frankly, I think there should be a fairly stout written test for license renewals, or maybe every other one. And set a high passing rate for passing, like 80-85% or so. The intent wouldn't be to get people off the road, it would be to force them to educate themselves on traffic laws and proper driving proceedures.

And I'd also make some verrrry stiff penalties for reckless driving, street racing, and red light running...license revocation, thousand dollar fines, or something like that. These things are TOTALLY within the drivers control, and when they CHOOSE to act recklessly and endanger the rest of the drivers out there and their families, they should pay the biggest penalties.

 

I hear ya dude!
Take it one step further, and they automatically deduct the amount of EACH violation you commit AS YOU COMMIT THEM!

As in, "Mr Jones, you exceeded 70 mph 3 times this afternoon, that will be $120 per violation for a total of $360. The amount was charged to your account when the vehicle ignition was shut off at 3:41pm. Thank You, and Drive Safely!"

As I said before, I am being honest in that I don't want to have to defend myself against my every little move. If I go over the speed limit to safely pass a slow truck on a 2-lane but then slow right back down, I shouldn't have to answer to a court or be hit for $120.

I have to admit though, if these things come into being, the first thing a traffic cop will do once he pulls onto an accident scene is download the BB data for police records. It will tell him everything relative to impact - no guesswork - basically doing half of the report for him. And yes, it will stand-up in court as evidence. That's what's bringing this to a head.
http://www.nbc5.com/news/2326080/detail.html
Here's what they record...
Another court case...
A Corvette case...
Another case - Sunfire this time

An EXCELLENT and comprehensive article in NYTimes
QUOTE "Law enforcement agents have used similar devices to chart suspects' travels, and a California company now offers a similar device so that parents can monitor their teenagers' driving. "

"Last year a small rental car company in New Haven, Acme Rent-a-Car, angered customers by using global positioning to fine them $150 for speeding. The state's department of consumer protection declared the fines illegal - but not the tracking. "

Hold on boys and girls... our +400hp cars and trucks are about to get neutered by electronics.