Black Boxes in Cars

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Created on Thursday, 14 February 2013 16:33

Written by Courtland Hanley

Do you ever wonder if Big Brother is watching you while you drive? That question is becoming a reality nationwide. Black box data recorders are currently installed in approximately 96% of new cars nationwide, and over 150 million older vehicles. Popular models with this device currently installed include Ford, Dodge, General Motors, and Honda.

These data recorders are activated when a car's behavior begins to suggest an accident may occur. Examples include excessive swerving, sudden braking, acceleration and more. These devices have become advantageous to officials when investigating car crashes, and have been used in court as proof of what really happened in an accident.
Saint Johnsbury Attorney David Sleigh, who has covered over a dozen such cases over the last decade said "When I first started practicing that kind of evidence simply wasn't available and you had to rely on either eyewitnesses... mostly those were people who were involved in the accident, and their ability to accurately perceive an event that is sort of shocking is...questionable."
While some disapprove of the installation in their vehicle, these event data recorders are being a mandate. By September of 2014, all new cars while have these devices installed.