According to Reuters, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has struck down the 2012 Obama administration proposal to require data collectors otherwise known as the black box in all vehicles. With the move, the NHTSA says that automakers are voluntarily installing devices, making the legislation a moot point.
The legislation was created by the NHTSA, originally intended on requiring the black box recorders in all vehicles. They won’t look to complete the legislation now, but their actions aren’t without some level of scrutiny.
Black Box Legislation Questioned
Director of the Center for Auto Safety, Jason Levine questioned the NHTSA’s decision to withdraw the black box law. In a quote to Reuters, the head of the consumer group stated that the choice “seems especially problematic as the need for uniform crash data elements to assist crash investigators only increases with every iteration of advanced safety technology.”
These black boxes have long been used for the capture of real-time events during a crash. This data logging gave insurance companies and authorities insight into hard facts both before and after the crash.
More important about all, however, is that the data is crucial and pertinent to crashes involving such motor vehicles.
Some of the metrics recorded included but were not limited to; vehicle speed, crash forces at the moment of impact, whether an airbag deployed, seat belt status and often times much more.
These questions are being raised in response to the choice. The NHTSA claims that the move to withdraw was due only to the fact that everyone already installs these black boxes. Either way, there is now discussion that an additional addendum could be added to a 2015 safety bill that required pre-crash recording requirements.
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