Maybe. Or more like, most likely.
Back in December, the federal government proposed that all new passenger vehicles be equipped with the EDR devices. However, 96% of all new cars already had them, as do at least 150 million other older vehicles. American car makers, led by GM and Ford, have been putting them in their cars since the mid-1990s. Who knew?
If you happened to have read your new car owner’s manual, then you might have noticed that it mentions that your car may have a monitoring device. It is a box that is the size of a deck of cards that’s called an event data recorder or EDR, and its’ designed to monitor and record all of your driving habits such as speed, steering, braking and even seat belt usage.
The recording from this device occurs when a few seconds before, during and after a crash, acts much like an airliner’s “black box” it sends back data that is used for analyzing the cause and effect of a crash. This data can ultimately be used to improve the car industry’s safety technology. It helps crash investigators, regulators and vehicle manufacturers understand how drivers respond in a crash and whether key safety systems are operating properly. In fact, event data recorders play a key role in whether an air bag functions properly by monitoring information needed for the system that determines whether and when to deploy the air bag. Ultimately, the information captured by event data recorders can be used to help automakers design safer vehicles and to help crash investigators and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determine whether there are safety issues with specific vehicles that could put the public at risk.
But, that’s not its’ only use. The data that is collected can be potentially helpful for insurance companies, lawyers and police. Some insurers are offering customers a cousin of the EDR, which tracks how a car is driven over a long period, so volunteer participants may qualify for lower rates.
But two things are certain. Black boxes are here to stay but without cooperation of the public to observe to the rules of the road, they are less than helpful resolving safety issues than an animal crossing the road.
Here at Donald J. Medeiros Insurance Agency our goal is to try to help our viewers by suggesting solutions for all insurance needs. By no means can we address each reader’s specific concerns in every incident. So, we strongly advise to check with an insurance representative to address your specific needs. However, you can also contact us for any questions or concerns and we will be happy to help you. We are able to offer a complete line of personal & commercial insurance products for all of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
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