Automotive Black Boxes, Minus the Gray Area

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will later this year propose a requirement that all new vehicles contain an event data recorder, known more commonly as a “black box.” The device, similar to those found in aircraft, records vehicle inputs and, in the event of a crash, provides a snapshot of the final moments before impact.

That snapshot could be viewed by law enforcement, insurance companies and automakers. The device cannot be turned off, and you’ll probably know little more about it than the legal disclosure you’ll find in the owner’s manual.

The proposal looks to some like a gross overreach of government authority, or perhaps an effort by Uncle Sam, the insurance industry and even the automakers to keep tabs on what drivers are doing. But if you’re driving a car with airbags, chances are there’s already one of these devices under your hood.

wired.com

once the government can find all the black boxes

from the planes on 9-11

then maybe i will trust anything they wish to install in to my automobile

Honestly, nothing new. Here's an article from 2009, an article from 2004 (sorry, it's a blog but the CNN article is no longer there). This Wordpress article states:

GM has been installing event data recorders in its cars since 1995 as part of the air bag system.

Big Brother has been watching you for a very, very long time.

I recently got rid of my 1998 Tahoe becuase it was having electrical problems. There was a black box hidden up in the dash that was creating a rapid clicking sound and was running the battery dead over night. We had taken it to a mechanic and he had no idea what it was or was used for. It is 2011 after all and the tech is certainly out there and probably small enough that you would never find it.

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