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Video at source. A proposed federal rule that would require black boxes or event data recorders (EDRs) in every U.S. automobile may mean “Big Brother” could be in your passenger seat for every drive. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rule requires all light passenger vehicles be equipped with an EDR by Sep.1, 2014. Ninety-six percent of new cars already have them - measuring such inputs as speed, lateral acceleration, pedal effort, seat belt use, wheel spin, steering wheel turn and direction. Black box data retrieved from U.S. car accidents in a single day would provide more information than a...

A teenage motorist who is believed to have been racing when he caused a crash that killed two Brandeis High School students has been indicted — five months later — on manslaughter charges, court records show. Antonio Flores, 19, a Brandeis senior at the time, plowed his 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer into a 2011 Chevrolet pickup while he and a group of students were on their lunch break Feb. 19, police and school officials said. The wreck, which occurred at the northbound access road of Loop 1604 just before Hausman Road, killed back-seat passengers Gabriella “Gabby” Lerma, 17, and Georgina Rodriguez,...

Chuck the telly! At the Fullness of Faith, David has posted Throw away your Television, quoting a song by "Red Hot Chilli Peppers." He says "Not only is the telly full of mindless junk, not only does it eat into spare time that could be used for prayer, study, family and Blogging...it is also largely inimical to all that our Catholic Faith stands for. Why do we pay to watch it in the first place?" Well, I sold my presbytery's television in January 2003 and have not had one since. I thought this would be a sacrifice but actually, I...

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - Fuel-efficient cars are designed to save people money on gas, but those who drive them could soon start paying a mileage tax. The government has been collecting taxes at the pump to pay for building and fixing roads for years, but drivers of electric cars avoid the gas tax because they don't fuel up. State legislators are looking at adding a tax for cars that get at least 55 miles per gallon, with the money going toward state roads. Some Portland residents say area roads could use the help.

I fear for the loss of our freedoms and liberties under the Obama administration. We expect our government to be run by people we elect. If they don't perform well, we have the opportunity to throw them out. But with the proliferation of "czars" appointed by the president, we are out of the loop when it comes to controlling our own destinies. They are in charge of such areas as borders, Medicare, manufacturing, electronic health records, faith-based initiatives, workplace issues and so on. The list now contains about 35 czars, whose names, backgrounds and goals we know nothing about. Van...

New Law To Require 'Black Boxes' In All Cars New Law Mandates Black Boxes In All Cars By 2015 By Bailey Johnson A recently passed bill will require all cars to come equipped with "black boxes" that record vehicle data. These Event Data Recorders (EDR), similar to their airplane counterparts, will record data such as speed, brake force and electrical systems monitoring. The days of a car crash being one driver's word against another look to be history. Senate Bill 1813 (known as Map-21) mandates that automakers install EDRs in all new vehicles starting in 2015.

A new controversial measure could potentially impact every American who owns a car. Beginning in 2015, all cars will be required to be fitted with a black box data recorder, known officially as “event data recorders” or EDRs. These black box recorders work much like the ones on airplanes, capturing data related to a crash. In some cases, authorities can tap into a car’s EDR to check vehicle speed, airbag deployments, and pedal application a few seconds before and after impact.

Black boxes in cars? We’ve reported on it before, but a bill requiring such devices has recently passed the U.S. Senate and is expected to fare the same in the House. If it goes all the way, cars built after 2015 will all have tattlers to give specific information on a car’s activity. If implemented, the devices are meant to be used by emergency responders during an accident, but the applications are far from limited to those incidents. Some are worried that installing such devices offer unprecedented invasions of privacy, bordering on big brother level surveillance of everyday citizens. Going...

[Snip]...As part of Senate Bill 1813 (known as MAP-21), Congress has inserted language that would oblige the Secretary of State to revoke or deny a passport to any U.S. citizen who the IRS Commissioner deems as having "seriously delinquent tax debt."...For starters, in what may be one of the most depraved Big Brother moves on record, section 31406 of the bill makes it mandatory for "black box" event recorders to be installed in every new passenger vehicle starting with model year 2015.

France has found what could be the first concrete clues to the location of black boxes missing from last year's Atlantic jet disaster, but warned on Thursday there was no guarantee the breakthrough would lead to their recovery.The defense ministry said the boost had come through detailed follow-up analysis of sonar readings taken in the first few weeks after an Air France jet crashed into the Atlantic killing 228 people on June 1 last year. Finding the black boxes is seen as essential to help crash experts and relatives understand exactly what caused flight 447 to plunge into a remote...