"With Toyota recalls, 'black boxes' play growing role

[Don]

EDR: Event Data Recorders

Toyota, up to now, has a proprietary system where only Toyota could read the data, GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc have an open format. The question remains regarding personal privacy. If used for accident investigation and/ or other legal issues, who owns the data and is it confidential to the vehicle owner, requiring a court order for anyone else to view.

" When it comes to "black boxes" in cars, there's one thing everyone from regulators to automakers agrees upon: These onboard crash-data recorders have their limitations. "

" Prompted by Toyota's recalls and questions about whether they fully remedy possible runaways, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering whether to require so-called black boxes -- officially "event data recorders" or EDRs -- in every vehicle sold in the U.S. It estimates that two-thirds of new cars now come with them; about 40 percent of the cars on the road have them. "


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