Feds Want a "Black Box" in Every Car by 2014

[Merlotte's]

It's obviously not gonna help during an accident and it's primary use is gonna be sorting things out afterwards when there are lawsuits and shit going on but the article says it could possibly " aid emergency response teams in assessing the severity of a crash and estimating the probability of serious injury before they reach the site of the crash." That and the supposed better understanding of crashes which would lead to safety improvements etc. etc.

I only read what was in the OP, missed that bit. If it helps reduce emergency response times I'm all for it. Mandatory driving school is the only answer I see to decreasing the volume of crashes and improving safety in the US, but that's a WR thread i'd rather not get into.

 

[surf fu]

I don't see it as a big deal. Think about it in relative terms (I know that's beyond most SD'ers).

Does anyone have a problem with black boxes in airplanes? I didn't think so. Everyone understands their importance in accident investigation and prevention, even in instances where the accident is the fault of pilot error.

Are airplanes safer than cars? Yes, yes they are.

I'm not going to draw you a map, you can see where I'm going with this.

Another point. As a professional driver with 17 years of accident free driving, I would love to see my insurance rates go down at the expense of the terrible drivers I see on the road every day. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

I think that's a weak comparison because most people don't fly as much as they drive.

 

[Big Sissy]

And don't forget a list of everyone you know, your interactions with them, and passwords to everything you log into - bank accounts, email, social networks, etc.

 

[new_mexico1]

And don't forget a list of everyone you know, your interactions with them, and passwords to everything you log into - bank accounts, email, social networks, etc.

Yeah, people are quite comfortable with having their lives completely out there. I don't see how this would bother most of them. It's not nearly as personal or intrusive as everything else they're doing.

 

[Lustercross]

I don't see it as a big deal. Think about it in relative terms (I know that's beyond most SD'ers).

Does anyone have a problem with black boxes in airplanes? I didn't think so. Everyone understands their importance in accident investigation and prevention, even in instances where the accident is the fault of pilot error.

Are airplanes safer than cars? Yes, yes they are.

I'm not going to draw you a map, you can see where I'm going with this.

Another point. As a professional driver with 17 years of accident free driving, I would love to see my insurance rates go down at the expense of the terrible drivers I see on the road every day. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

Finally the first mature response

 

[Merlotte's]

I think that's a weak comparison because most people don't fly as much as they drive.

Pilots are well trained and regulated tightly as well. Commercial pilots anywho. There wouldn't be much to learn from a black box in a car crash accept who was negligent. If the case were to find out if the car malfunctioned more often than the driver I see a need. We'd likely see a rise in recalls.

 

[Josh]

I think that's a weak comparison because most people don't fly as much as they drive.

That's not why flying is safer than driving, you know that, right? They do consider frequency when they come up with these things.

The fact that people drive more than they fly, are more likely to get hurt driving than flying, and approve of black boxes in planes, should result in approval of black boxes in cars if reason and logic are followed.

 

[usfbrah]

Id rip mine out

 

[dza76wutang]

I don't see it as a big deal. Think about it in relative terms (I know that's beyond most SD'ers).

Does anyone have a problem with black boxes in airplanes? I didn't think so. Everyone understands their importance in accident investigation and prevention, even in instances where the accident is the fault of pilot error.

Are airplanes safer than cars? Yes, yes they are.

I'm not going to draw you a map, you can see where I'm going with this.

Another point. As a professional driver with 17 years of accident free driving, I would love to see my insurance rates go down at the expense of the terrible drivers I see on the road every day. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

It depends what they do with it. I don't want to be mailed a speeding ticket every time I go over the speed limit. I do a lot of long distance highway driving on completely empty highways (counter-commute traffic pattern) and this would be very annoying very quickly.

 

[BB in Crazy!!!!]

While some of the information would be helpful, it does frighten me a bit like with the situation with cell phones and social networking. Next they will have cameras in our houses to monitor our safety. And many of you will be fine with it. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing our cars would need a black box for is to monitor our cars current operations, like speed at the time of an accident. You don't need a record of the speed I was driving in January to use against me in November.

 

[Josh]

Pilots are well trained and regulated tightly as well. Commercial pilots anywho. There wouldn't be much to learn from a black box in a car crash accept who was negligent. If the case were to find out if the car malfunctioned more often than the driver I see a need. We'd likely see a rise in recalls.

If more people are getting hurt in cars, and it's costing taxpayers more through insurance premiums and healthcare dollars, relative to airline accidents, maybe car drivers need to be well trained and regulated tightly.

 

[Merlotte's]

If more people are getting hurt in cars, and it's costing taxpayers more through insurance premiums and healthcare dollars, relative to airline accidents, maybe car drivers need to be well trained and regulated tightly.

We do need more training and regulation. It shouldn't take a box of info for our government to realize that. But in the US policy can't be changed without "scientific evidence", for some odd reason.

 

[Oeshon]

america, land of the free.

lol

 

[Josh]

We do need more training and regulation. It shouldn't take a box of info for our government to realize that. But in the US policy can't be changed without "scientific evidence", for some odd reason.

I don't even see this a government regulation/big brother issue, to be honest. Free enterprise should be the driving force behind this. As I said earlier, given the fact that driving is a privilege, not a right, and considering the role of private insurance providers in the auto-insurance industry, it's a no-brainer to me. As a responsible driver and a consumer, I want the best rates, and black box data can help ensure I get those rates.

And if poor drivers are getting penalized through insurance rates, I would think that we would see safer roads as a result, either through improved drivers, or making the cost of driving prohibitive for those that refuse to improve.

 

[TexasDrugAddict**]

@ Tomax

So do you have Progressive. they have this already as an option. I can't remember what the stats were but a while back 70% of its policy holder did Not want to option for this. This was a few yrs ago and it probley changed by but i will try to see if i can find some numbers. I think most don't trust the Tech.

 

[SevenSamurai]

This info will be priceless for successfully integrating the new Autonomous Cars in with regular driven cars -as driver behavior and tendencies will create the artificial intelligence needed to make autonomous travel safe for interacting with human drivers -Several states have already made them legal and they are the future.

 

[Josh]

@ Tomax

So do you have Progressive. they have this already as an option. I can't remember what the stats were but a while back 70% of its policy holder did Not want to option for this. This was a few yrs ago and it probley changed by but i will try to see if i can find some numbers. I think most don't trust the Tech.

No. In my province, basic insurance is sold only by the government. You can buy your optional insurance through private companies. I currently get a 43% discount from the government provider for my safe driving record, but I think I should pay even less.

The fact that 70% of policy holders don't support it isn't surprising. I'm on the road every day, and there are so many awful drivers. I guess most of them know how bad they are. I bet 100% of the policy holders would claim they want better rates. I bet 100% of consumers would say they want to pay less for things they consume. It's up to the companies to figure out how to reduce cost, as the consumers offer no expertise in that area.

 

[Kanster]

I heard about this and I have to say fuck them.

I will stick to older cars.

 

[Merlotte's]

I don't even see this a government regulation/big brother issue, to be honest. Free enterprise should be the driving force behind this. As I said earlier, given the fact that driving is a privilege, not a right, and considering the role of private insurance providers in the auto-insurance industry, it's a no-brainer to me. As a responsible driver and a consumer, I want the best rates, and black box data can help ensure I get those rates.

And if poor drivers are getting penalized through insurance rates, I would think that we would see safer roads as a result, either through improved drivers, or making the cost of driving prohibitive for those that refuse to improve.

My state does not do inspections. I don't know how the insurance companies would recieve my driving info. I'd be willing to fork it over. The data on the ice covered roads I drive on would look strange. Tires spin and anti-lock brakes fight back no matter how cautious I am. (you likely see similar road conditions)

I never factored in cost as a consumer. I would benefit. But theres a law where I live that puts drivers w/o insurance in jail and it hasn't deterred those individuals from driving uncovered still. American mind set/lack of education? I don't know.

 

[SevenSamurai]

Also -I don't really break the law these days anymore so if they were used for criminal investigations and law enforcement -this technology more likely stands to exhonerate me and protect me than indicte me.

-That is of course, if it is used correctly and ethically -but I guess with this technology, they could frame me for my political or religious views too ---errrr

All or the sudden I'm in a Phillip K Dick novel.