I sure hope the planners of such a system remember to allow for the Z-axis...
Posted on 02/04/2005 7:31:09 PM PST by Rennes Templar
Your car is most likely recording things about your driving and that information can be used against you if you have a traffic accident.
Most people don't know their car has a black box. They are similar to ones in airplanes, although they don't record voices, but they do record plenty of other things that happen before a crash.
Even though it's silver, it's called a black box or airbag sensor or event data recorder. Its main job is safety, it operates the airbags, but it also records information and because of that, a Glenpool teenager could be charged with negligent homicide. It'll be the first time anyone's been charged in Tulsa County based on a black box, but you can bet, it won't be the last.
Last year, a 19 year old man took his sister's 2002 Trans-Am out for a test drive the day after she bought it. He lost control and hit two utility poles; the crash killed his passenger, who was also 19. The driver had no idea the car would become a witness against him. Tulsa Police removed the black box from the wreckage and it had quite a story to tell.
The Trans Am's computer read-out says five seconds before he hit the first pole, the driver was going 121 miles an hour, the throttle was at 100% and the RPM's at 5504. At four seconds before impact, he took his foot off the gas and his speed dropped to 119. At three seconds, he hit the brakes and slowed to 108. At two seconds, he was down to 102 and one second later, just before he hit the first pole, he was going 87 miles an hour. Police sent that information to the DA, for a negligent homicide charge.
The National Transportation Safety Board wants black boxes in all vehicles. And another crash is one of the reasons why. An 86 year old man killed 10 people and injured 63 when he plowed into a farmer's market in California in 2003. Some witnesses said he was braking, others said he was accelerating.
Investigators still don't know for sure and that's when they said wanted black boxes in all vehicles sold in the US, which will happen by 2009. But 10-million vehicles already have them and some people wonder how they got installed with so few people knowing about it.
Car makers say the recorders give them real-world data they can't get in a lab and that helps them make safer cars. Adam Goins, Riverside Chevrolet Service Mgr: "Accidents are what they are, they're accidents and weird things happen and the data that comes out of this box helps manufacturers make a safer product."
The box records information as you're driving. If you slam on your brakes or crash, it decides in milliseconds which seatbelt to cinch up or which airbag to deploy, which is a great safety feature, it also starts retaining the information it recorded. Tulsa Police Sgt Rick Bondy: "It keeps a rolling track, five seconds worth of data, on how fast you're going, if your foot is on the gas or the brake, engine speed, who's wearing a seatbelt, who's in the front seat."
Many people don't like the idea of being spied on without their consent or knowledge, especially since there are no guidelines about who can get this information or how they can use it. Attorney Wayne Copeland: "We're no longer a country that's as free as it once was. We're more of a police state every day." Others argue something must be done about the 6,000 crashes in this country every day and their enormous financial and physical cost.
An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper showed us how to hook up to a black box in a wrecked car and read the data. OHP trooper Ron Singleton: "The driver was buckled; the air bag was on the passenger side."
Prosecutors say when it comes to finding the truth, a computer is more reliable than contradicting witnesses and since the black box has no personal bias, it can prove a person's innocence as well as guilt. Tulsa County First Assistant DA Doug Drummond: "Something where a life has been lost or it's serious, if there's a piece of evidence out there that will help you find the truth, which would surely outweigh anyone's privacy in my opinion."
Some worry about the uses of this technology not even conceived of yet, like recording months of data that allows dealers to refuse warranty work or insurance companies, to deny coverage or lawyers to file lawsuits. This debate of safety versus privacy is just beginning and will no doubt result in rules about how much these boxes record, who can legally get the information and how it can be used.
To see if your vehicle has an event recorder onboard, check this site: http://www.harristechnical.com/downloads/cdrlist.pdf
I sure hope the planners of such a system remember to allow for the Z-axis...
"An 86 year old man killed 10 people and injured 63 when he plowed into a farmer's market in California in 2003."
I want to die quietly in my sleep like my grandfather did, not screaming in fear like the passengers in the car he was driving!
A joke.
Perhaps RFID technology can be used to do away with the 'black boxes'. 10-15 seconds worth of Data could be captured at every intersection and you could shown to not be a terrorist or a speeder and that you really were on your li'l ol' way to work.
Give me back the days of the muscle car. Specifically the 64 vette. ;o)
That'd have to be one heck of a tap. My pickup's EDR requires an airbag event to permanently record what happened.
"For Lyons, the story did have a happy ending. All charges were dropped against him in January 2005 because another person stepped forward saying he or she set the fire and not Lyons. Lyons is now back at work after more than 5 months of being on administrative leave from his firefighter job."
"The moral of this story is that even the most innocent database can be used against a person in a criminal investigation turning their lives completely upside down."
"Safeway needs to more up-front with customers about the potential downsides of shopper cards. They should also provide the details of their role in the arrest or Mr. Lyons and other criminal cases in which the company provided Club Card purchase information to police investigators."
http://www.computerbytesman.com/privacy/safewaycard.htm
Words from someone with something to hide.- dt
Spoken like a true LEO, or socialist... page
If you're referring to me, wrong on both counts.
I don't think so???
Becky
no, that is not the point. even today, the speed of the collision can be approximated by the damage - people still make false injury claims. the reason they want the black box data is to examine how you were driving minutes before the crash - if you were exceeding the speed limit 4 minutes before the crash, even though you tapped the guy at 3MPH, they will still use the information about your previous "reckless" driving against you.
Not possible. The devices only record the last five seconds of data. It constantly overwrites itself.
this is true - today. memory prices are plumetting, storing 15 minutes of data will be very easy.
I hate those daytime running lights too. If I want my lights on I'll turn them on, damn it! Funny thing is we're looking at Suburbans, if I buy one I'll put a switch on it to turn them on and off at my pleasure.
How often do you look at your own driving lights as you drive??? Why does it annoy you so much? Strange. What I can tell you is that ever since I got my SUV with driving lights, no one has ever pulled out in front of me in the last 5 and a half years. It used to be a monthly occurence when I drove vehicles without the lights. Other drivers really do see them.
Bump and ping for later read.
If a speeding drunk hits you, you probably won't be seeing anything anymore.
You might try reversing the battery connections. It usually takes care of them.
Helper, you try it first and let me know. :o)
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