MSN.com: Automotive Black Boxes: Fact Versus Fiction

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MSN.com: Automotive Black Boxes: Fact Versus Fiction

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http://editorial.autos.msn.com/automoti ... us-fiction
Fiction: EDRs are required on all cars
Not yet, at least. The federal government currently doesn't require automakers to install EDRs in vehicles. Each automaker decides whether to include one, and many do. But that could soon change with pending legislation. "There's a proposed Senate rule pending that would require EDRs in all vehicles," says Ron Medford, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "[The new law] would take out the option and say that all car manufacturers must install EDRs."

Fact: Automakers have to declare the presence of an EDR
Since 2006, NHTSA has stipulated that automakers that include the device in a vehicle have to disclose to consumers that an EDR is on board. (The information is usually found in the owner's manual.) NHTSA also recently mandated that vehicles manufactured after Sept. 1, 2011, that include the devices must record data in a standardized format.

Fiction: An EDR constantly records your driving habits
An automotive black box begins recording information only after it detects enough force to trigger it, such as in a collision or significant impact after a hard jolt. "The algorithm that sets off the capturing of EDR data can be triggered without deploying an airbag," says Todd Hutchison, an accident reconstruction expert and vice president of VCE Inc. in Nashville, Tenn. "It can be set off by, say, hitting a curb really hard." Otherwise, the device remains inactive.

Continued ...
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/automoti ... us-fiction
Sean Haight, PhD

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