Autoblog

Senate committee passes overhaul of auto safety laws, includes hefty recall fines

Noah Joseph — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:19:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety

Congress is gearing up for a comprehensive overhaul of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, implementing some significant safety measures for automobiles along the way. The campaign, encouraged by safety advocates for over a year now, has gained significant ground as the Senate Commerce Committee endorsed a series of measures which it will seek to incorporate into a highway reauthorization bill due for approval early in the new year.

According to The Detroit News, measures approved by the committee include significantly stiffer fines for automakers delaying necessary recalls. Currently the maximum fine that can be imposed in such instances is $17.35 million, but the new regulations would up that to a whopping $250 million. Naturally, many automakers are opposing this particular measure, but they are, however, backing an additional regulation that would equip all new vehicles with 'black box' data recorders.

Automakers aren't the only ones targeted by the new measures, however, as the new regulations would also increase fines for using electronic devices (like mobile phones) while behind the wheel, and up the penalty tenfold for fraudulently rolling back a car's odometer.

The bill, sponsored by two Democrat senators, would take at least a year to be put into effect should it be voted into law.

Senate committee passes overhaul of auto safety laws, includes hefty recall fines originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Cost to insure a new UK driver? Nearly $10,000/year

Zach Bowman — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Earnings/Financials, UK

According to The Daily Telegraph, young drivers in Britain can pay as much as £546 per month for auto insurance. That's around $890/month at current conversion rates. The report indicates that UK drivers between the ages of 17 and 22 years old pay an average of £5,957 - around $9,640.

And you thought it was expensive to get car insurance for your child.

Why the steep price tag for UK drivers with Learner's tags? It's no shock to learn that young drivers carry a higher risk of being involved in an accident than their elder counterparts, and as such, insurance companies assign higher premiums to the group. Unfortunately, as a result of these tough insurance prices, it's estimated that as much as 20 percent of UK drivers between the ages of 17 and 22 are driving without any coverage at all.

Additionally, around 41 percent of UK parents are currently insuring their child's vehicle in their name to cut costs. Unfortunately, doing so is illegal, and insurance companies can refuse to cover a claim if they find that parents have been fronting insurance for their young drivers.

So what's the solution? The Daily Telegraph reports that some insurance companies are turning to a black box that measures g-forces from sudden acceleration, braking and cornering, as well as the time of day that the vehicle is being driven and its speed to custom-tailor insurance premiums. Similar measures are being undertaken here in the States as well.

Cost to insure a new UK driver? Nearly $10,000/year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NHTSA expected to mandate black boxes in all cars next month

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Technology

Are you ready for a black box to be installed in your car? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration apparently is. According to a new report from Wired, NHTSA is expected to rule next month that all new cars will need to carry just such a device.

Now, before you get all "Screw the Gubment!" in the comments, you should know that many modern cars already have black box systems installed - you might have one and not even know it. General Motors, for instance, has been installed the electronic data recorders since the 1990s, on almost all vehicles fitted with airbags.

The concern for most drivers, however, lies with what type of information is captured, and who has access to it. Also, different automakers use different Electronic Data Recorder devices. A black box standard needs to be developed, which would allow for the data retrieved from an EDR to be consistent regardless of the vehicle make it's pulled from.

Some view this mandate as an invasion of motorists' privacy. However, the data recovered from the black box systems can provide crucial insight into crash dynamics. Exactly who's allowed to view that information varies by state, of course, and only 13 states currently have legislation in place regulating the release of EDR data.

What do you think, is this a good idea, or a bad one? Have your say in Comments.

NHTSA expected to mandate black boxes in all cars next month originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Toyota admits black box bug can give false speed readings

Zach Bowman — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Technology, Toyota

Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota executive vice president in charge of research and development, has confirmed that a software glitch has caused the company's event data recorder readers to misinterpret speeds during accidents. According to Automotive News, the executive admits that his company had previously underscored the fact that it couldn't say whether or not there was a problem with the black boxes themselves. The software bug in the readers came to light during the manufacturer's investigation into instances of unintended acceleration. Even so, Uchiyamda (above, left) says that there's no reason to doubt the rest of the readings from the EDRs.

Both Toyota and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration have found that in the majority of runaway vehicle cases, driver error has been to blame, though some incidents were caused by entrapped accelerator pedals.

Despite the problem, Uchiyamada has warned against using the EDR reader defect to discredit all of the data collected by the devices, noting that the glitch has since been remedied and that the rest of the readings accurately recorded.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req. | Image: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty]

Report: Toyota admits black box bug can give false speed readings originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Toyota's event data recorders have a history of problems

Zach Bowman — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Toyota

According to a report in The Washington Post, the event data recorders the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration used to investigate claims of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles have a history of problems. In one incident, a Toyota pickup that struck a tree in a single car accident was recorded as going 177 mph - far faster than any T100 we've ever seen. A separate reading from the same device put the truck's speed at a more feasible 75 mph. The article even says that Toyota itself has warned about the reliability of data collected from the so-called black boxes by stressing that the recorders were not intended to be used as crash-reconstruction devices. In the recent past, Toyota has already been accused of being 'secretive' about providing access to their black box data.

The EDRs in question apparently also have a history of being inaccurate about more than just speed. In another case, the device onboard recorded that both passengers had their seat belts unbuckled at the time of impact when in reality, one individual was safely buckled in.

Unfortunately, government researchers have little other recourse when it comes to substantiating or refuting claims of runaway Toyota products. NHTSA just recently released a preliminary report saying that over half of the instances in which the vehicles seemed out of control were actually attributable to the driver applying the wrong pedal at the wrong time. The Washington Post has indicated that the unreliability of the EDRs leaves some question as to the validity of those findings. They may have a point. Thanks for the tip, FYI!

[Source: The Washington Post | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Report: Toyota's event data recorders have a history of problems originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Intel developing new automotive black box

Zach Bowman — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:35:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Technology

Big Brother really wants to get into your future vehicle. Intel is currently hard at work on the next generation of vehicle event data recorders, the infamous black boxes that Congress has clamored for since Toyota's unintended acceleration problems dominated headlines earlier this year. According to The New York Times, these new black boxes may do a lot more than just record things like vehicle speed and whether you're wearing your seatbelt. Intel's prototype will incorporate GPS and all of a vehicle's onboard cameras for real-time mapping of the road conditions.

As if that's not intrusive enough, Intel proposes that the EDRs record up to 30 seconds of interior video as well. While this level of information would likely prove helpful in determining who's at fault in an accident, there's the prickly question of who owns that information once it's stored in the vehicle. Does it belong to vehicle manufacturers as it does now? Should the government be able to lay claim to it without a warrant? Will insurance companies be able to use EDR data any way they see fit, or does it belong to the owner of the vehicle? This could get ugly, and it probably will before all's said and done.

[Source: The New York Times]

Report: Intel developing new automotive black box originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: U.S. safety bill could triple cost of automotive black boxes to $5,000

Zach Bowman — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:41:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

When word first came down that Congress was looking to mandate that all new vehicles to be sold with Event Data Recorders, we knew that the added tech was going to be pricey. According to Automotive News, if legislators have their way, the new automotive black boxes will need to be both fire resistant and waterproof. Add in a significant amount of recording time before and after an accident, and suddenly the price tag per unit could soar up to a lofty $4,000 to $5,000. Currently, the EDRs track about five seconds worth of information just before an accident, though some legislators are pushing for up to 75 seconds of recording pre-crash. Between the fire insulation and added recording time, analysts believe the devices will swell to shoebox size, also creating a new packaging issue for automakers.

And who's going to be shelling out the cash for the indestructible, mammoth recorders? The short answer is the automakers, though you can bet they won't just be soaking up the cost out of the goodness of their hearts. Odds are that $4,000-per-box price tag will be passed right along to consumers if such devices become law, so don't be surprised to see sticker prices climb if the boxes become mandatory in 2015.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: U.S. safety bill could triple cost of automotive black boxes to $5,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 May 2010 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

USA Today investigates how automotive 'black boxes' can help recreate accidents

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Toyota

Long before shows like CSI misled the public about how long a DNA test takes and introduced the mythical world of "zoom and enhance," airplane black boxes were making people think you could minutely recreate an air disaster if you could just get the box. Not so. Turns out that quite a few cars sold in the U.S. have black boxes as well, with the same limitations: you can retrieve a certain set of data from them, but its quality and usefulness varies.

Toyota has been phasing black boxes into its cars since 2001, but stresses that the data collected is for "general safety research, not accident reconstruction." The data collected comes from several collection points like the acceleration and airbag modules. While it can help solve a case like the one of the zooming Prius in New York, where the woman was actually pressing the accelerator and not the brake, in other cases it won't prove effective, such as when the data being gathered is from the same corrupt source that's part of the problem.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has laid out some uniform regulations to cover black boxes from 2012. Just about every automaker selling cars here uses them, but they collect different data and an owner's access to that data differs across the country. Carmakers are generally in agreement with the new regs, but want to push the date back a year to fall in line with vehicle development timelines. The bigger issue, though, isn't what a black box is going to record, but what it will do with those recordings, who can get to them, and how easily.

[Source: USA Today]

USA Today investigates how automotive 'black boxes' can help recreate accidents originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Toyota 'secretive' about black box data

Steven J. Ewing — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Due to the ongoing NHTSA investigation and several lawsuits involving Toyota, the automaker's in-car "black box" data is coming into the spotlight. However, the Associated Press has conducted an investigation of its own, finding that Toyota has, for years, blocked access to event data recorder (EDR) information, and that the automaker has been inconsistent in revealing exactly what these devices do and do not record.

In this investigation, AP found that Toyota has frequently refused to provide information crucial to crash victims and survivors, and that in some lawsuits, the automaker has routinely provided printouts with key information missing. What's more (this much we knew already), AP reports that Toyota's EDRs use proprietary software (meaning it can only be read by Toyota), and that until just recently, there was only one computer in the entire United States that contained the software needed to rear EDR data.

In a statement to AP, Toyota outlined exactly what information its EDRs collect, including vehicle speed, gear shift position, angle of the driver's seat, whether the seat belt was used, and the accelerator and brake pedals' angles. In the coming months, we'd expect that Toyota starts to make more of this information readily available, especially with its committed cooperation to ongoing safety investigations.

[Source: The Associated Press via Yahoo | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Report: Toyota 'secretive' about black box data originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GM comes out in support of black box legislation

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology, GM

As of today, when incidents like sudden acceleration happen, it's extremely difficult to diagnose conclusively what the cause was. Without a mechanism to track exactly what the driver did, what the vehicle sensors detected and how the vehicle responded, it usually ends up being a he said/she said situation.

Thus, in the wake of recent allegations of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, a movement has begun to equip all cars with black box data recorders.
Representative Gene Green (D-TX) has already introduced legislation that would mandate the installation of such event data recorders, or black boxes, in all new vehicles.

General Motors has now come out publicly in favor of the proposal. GM has been installing event data recorders in its cars since 1995 as part of the air bag system. In accidents where the airbags are triggered, GM can use the data stored in the EDR for diagnostic purposes to improve the function of its safety systems. The recorders save the last few seconds of data before a crash from a number of sensors. GM is not only supporting the installation of these recorders in all vehicles, but also supports making the data accessible so that accident causes can be more accurately determined.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM comes out in support of black box legislation

GM comes out in support of black box legislation originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Florida man cancels Nissan GT-R order due to 'black box'

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Supercars, Nissan

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Nissan GT-R

A Florida man named Scott Weires has canceled the order for his long-awaited Nissan GT-R. Why? It's not that he was disappointed in the car's performance credentials, far from it. The problem is that the GT-R is equipped with a 'black box', similar in theory to the kind found on airplanes to help determine what went wrong in case of an accident or breakdown. By the end of 2012, car buyers won't have a choice as to whether their new car is equipped with a 'black box,' or Electronic Data Recorder -- they will be federally mandated to carry one. These devices track information that could be useful to the manufacturer in determining exactly what is, or has been, going on with a car. There are a few worries, though, that warranty claims could be denied if the automaker, Nissan in this case, deems that the car was being raced or abused in some way or by police or lawyers to determine culpability. Nissan's GT-R carries an on-board recorder that keeps track of the past few day's worth of driving and cannot be disabled. In the case of Scott Weires, an attorney no less, that was enough to look elsewhere. Would it be for you?

Gallery: Review: 2009 Nissan GT-R

[Source: AutoWeek]

Florida man cancels Nissan GT-R order due to 'black box' originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Automotive black boxes evolve

Chris Tutor — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Safety, Hyundai

For now, if your car has a black box it's probably recording your speed, skids, steering wheel and pedal input and how many of your radio's presets are disco (not really). But PLK, a subsidiary of Hyundai, wants to offer you (or more likely your boss) a more talented black box. Their Roadscope device records all the above except for the bad radio, but adds lane departure warning and will take photos seconds before, after and during an accident. While it will be a big hit with fleet owners and rental agencies, priced under $300 the Roadscope could find its way into personal vehicles. Photo evidence could be a huge boost (or bust) during an accident trial.

PLK's Roadbox takes the recording feature even further, with wide-angle video recording of accident events.

It's such a good thing these things weren't around when we were in high school. Bald tires on Dad's Chevelle were enough evidence to convict us of school parking lot burnouts and donuts. But video footage just might have had another judge convicting us.

A shot of the Roadscope and a sample of its video after the jump.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Continue reading Automotive black boxes evolve

Automotive black boxes evolve originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

NHTSA requires disclosing "black box" details

Eric Bryant — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:04:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Technology

Starting in 2011, automakesr will be required to inform consumers if their new vehicle includes an event data recorder, or "black box". Such devices have recently come under fire from privacy advocates, as manufacturers have been somewhat less than forthcoming about information on the devices.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) will also require that any data recorder be capable of gathering at least 15 pieces of information, but stopped short of requiring that the devices be installed on every new vehicle. Currently, over 60% of new vehicles include black boxes that are triggered by the deployment of a vehicle's supplemental restrain systems.

As expected, no one seems satisfied with NHTSA's ruling. Public Citizen's Joan Claybrook was quite unhappy after hearing that the recorders will not be required across the board, while representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union did not like the fact that certain issues regarding the use of crash data were not addressed.

[Source: AP/Yahoo!]

NHTSA requires disclosing "black box" details originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

NHTSA creating universal standard for automotive 'black box'

John Neff — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Government/Legal, Technology

Though you may not realize it, your car is probably equipped with an automotive 'black box'. Also known as Event Data Recorders, these devices record information from a vehicle's various sensors during a crash - everything from airbag performance to the angle of the steering wheel to the speed of the vehicle is retained. Though an estimated 90 percent of new vehicles are shipped with the devices, each manufacturer uses their own hardware, software and file formats.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will rule on a universal format for Event Data Recorders in the next 30 days, according to Automotive News. While not going so far as to make EDRs mandatory in every new vehicle, the ruling will create a standard format for data collected by EDRs across many different vehicles. The Society of Automotive Engineers has been given the task to come up with the universal format.

The new ruling will only cost automakers about $8 million, which isn't much in the grand scheme of things. To date these black boxes have aided in voluntary recalls and accident investigations, and automakers claim they're used to make vehicles safer. Of course, the real debate is whether information recorded by an EDR can be submitted as evidence against a driver in court. In that case, Big Brother may now be riding shot gun.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. required]

NHTSA creating universal standard for automotive 'black box' originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Aug 2006 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments