Black Box

Millions of motorists' crash - few realize that most vehicles record crash data! This is the first and only book that explains what on-board "black box" technologies actually do during a crash. BLACK BOX: What's Under Your Hood? Describes in simple everyday language, the newest accessory on-board passenger motor vehicles - the Motor Vehicle Event Data Recorder (MVEDR). This automotive equivalent of an airplane's flight recorder or "black box" is intended to solve the mysteries of car crashes and improve the safety of our roads. How we came to have them on-board our vehicles and how it actually works may amaze you. There's no need to be an electronics engineer or automotive technician to understand current and future plans for black boxes. The reader is taken inside the automotive industry and the government highway safety establishment to foster an understanding of the politics and the positions on all sides of this safety debate. The author takes an unbiased approach, topically presenting each argument and uncovering the agendas and mandates of each of the stakeholders. Kowalick, an expert on automotive EDR technologies, discloses where to find data recorders in your vehicle. He explains how events are triggered and which data gets captured to provide a post-crash analysis. The book is useful to attorneys, public safety advocates, public policy administrators, engineers, automotive professionals, journalists, insurance executives, and consumers. The twelve chapters cover background and evolution of on-board vehicle devices, the USDOT/NHTSA Regulatory proposal, and responses from the world's leading Automakers, Alliances and Associations, Safety and Privacy Advocates, Insurance Industry, Global Standards Developers, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the public. The information needed to understand the technology and to answer motorists' questions and concerns about the widespread use of MVEDRs are provided, including: Detailed bibliography and glossary Examination of the unique legal and privacy issues List of vehicles that have automatic recording capabilities Chronological summary of key events Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations To date, there have been hundreds of news and magazine articles, and numerous radio and television stories -- but few books written exclusively about how and why modern-day motor vehicles use on-board EDRs. You many wonder: What is an EDR? What is the difference between an EDR and a "black box" common to airplanes? Why are automakers installing EDRs in modern vehicles? Why do safety advocates believe we need these emerging technologies? What do privacy advocates fear about them? What are the positive and negative perceptions of EDRs to the public? What types of crash data do EDRs record and for what duration? Can the EDR record where a vehicle traveled -- or how fast it was going at any given time? Under what circumstances will people have access to EDR data? How do professionals analyze EDR data -- what special equiment do they use? How do EDRs function during pre-crash, crash and post-crash mode? Under what circumstances can third parties, such as law enforcement or insurance companies, download data from the EDR? How do third parties, such as insurance companies, collect and manage electronically recorded event data? Who has access to crash data? What is the U.S. government proposal for EDRs? What's in your vehicle? What recording capability will be in the next new vehicle that you drive -- maybe a rental car? How is it possible to balance safety and privacy? These are just a few of the important and timely questions affecting every motorist in the world - including you!