Autoblog

Senate OKs mandatory black boxes in cars for 2015, House expected to follow

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:31:00 EST

It's been working its way through Congress for years, but according to Car and Driver, an event recorder mandate could soon become law. The Senate has already voted to adopt a transportation bill that would make the so-called "black boxes" mandatory by the 2015 model year. According to the report, the House of Representatives is also expected to pass a similar statute.

While the specifics of the bills are "vague" - to use C/D's words - they're also likely to change before becoming law. What probably won't, according to the report, is the standard data set that the Department of Transportation has set forth, 15 measurements that include direction of acceleration, throttle position, and time that the airbags fired, among others.

This raises the specter of government snooping, of course. The Senate version at least specifies that the data contained in the little electronic box is actually owned by the owner of the vehicle, according to the report. Johnny Law can still come around with a warrant to gain access to it, however, and first responders and paramedics would be able to do so without the warrant, provided they needed the information to respond to the emergency.

Senate OKs mandatory black boxes in cars for 2015, House expected to follow originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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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.

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