Mandatory Installation of Black Boxes for Vehicles?

August 23, 2010 (Press-News.org) The U.S. Congress is currently debating whether to require all car manufacturers to include Event Data Recorders, more commonly known as "black boxes," as standard safety features in all vehicles. Several automobile makers began installing black boxes as standard features in 2005, but they are not mandatory and are not regulated. While black boxes can be helpful tools in accident forensics, they are still surrounded by controversy because of the skill needed to interpret the recorded data and possible motorist privacy violations.

Motor Vehicle Safety Act

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 was introduced to the Senate in May of this year and was referred to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in June, where it currently resides. The bill aims to impose additional motor vehicle safety standards and penalties on car manufacturers, including requiring black boxes and standardizing how much data they record. The bill could also make vehicle safety hazards and defects more readily available to the public through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Event Data Recorders

While most people have heard the term "black box" in relation to investigating the causes of airplane crashes, many people do not realize that their own cars may also contain this safety feature. Event Data Recorders, or black boxes, electronically record certain information a vehicle is involved in an accident -- like whether the driver was wearing a seatbelt, acceleration data and airbag deployment. This information may then be used as support for the injured to reconstruct an accident and determine fault during litigation.

Push for Black Boxes

The inspiration behind Congress' push for requiring black boxes came out Toyota's troubles with acceleration accidents earlier this year. Although many recordings from black boxes tend to corroborate information determined from current methods of accident forensics during car crash reconstruction, some of the data they provide cannot be gathered through existing techniques. In addition, making black boxes mandatory puts anyone involved or injured in a collision on an even playing field if there is a personal injury lawsuit.

Help When Accidents Happen

If you are ever injured in an accident, it is important to know who to call for help in determining whether your car has a black box and how to retrieve and decode the data it recorded. First, contact an experienced personal injury attorney in your area to discuss your legal rights and options. Your lawyer will then work with an accident reconstructionist to figure out how the collision occurred and who was at fault. When compensation for your injuries is at stake, using all the tools at your disposal can help your case from the start.

Article provided by The Breslo Law Firm
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