Why don't cars have "black box" in order to make investigations and insurance claims easier? With memory so cheap, it could probably store hours if not months of data.
A black box would also encourage better driving as the police can take readings from the black box in addition to taking breathalyzer readings at road blocks.
bwg11,
Dec 21, 5:52pm
Some do. Would you really like or advocate this? It is only one step away from Google's driver-less cars.
medcare,
Dec 21, 5:59pm
If the black proves I was not at fault. I'm 100% for having it installed.
if the black box proves I was at fault. I'm 100% against having it installed.
Other than that. I'm neutral.
medcare,
Dec 21, 6:05pm
In the UK there are insurance companies that offer a 25% discount to young drivers if they have a "black box" installed.
Some of the black boxes report important data like speeding and excess G force in real-time so if there is an accident then the driver cannot remove and destroy the black box as the data is already held off-site.
saxman99,
Dec 21, 6:32pm
Yeah, nah.
socram,
Dec 21, 6:39pm
A bit of big brother when they see you were doing 200kph - but they can't tell you it was on a track day.
Agree with #3, but when someone changes lanes and biffs you, I doubt the black box would tell you anything of value. Make no mistake, it will probably be part of all new cars within 5 years.
trogedon,
Dec 21, 6:43pm
socram wrote: A bit of big brother when they see you were doing 200kph - but they can't tell you it was on a track day.
Or that Nissan GTR that hit the tree. in which its pretty obvious it was doing at bit more than 100kph.
The black box(the ones i dealt with were Burnt Orange)only gives certain details ie speed,height ,control surfaces settings etc Of equal importance is the Cockpit voice Recorder.Which one would you want,or both.?
harm_less,
Dec 21, 6:59pm
In Russia a dashcam is part of your motor insurance requirements. Corruption is rife so actual video footage is a far better defence than taking witnesses at their word. This footage from dashcams gives an indication of what Russian drivers have to deal with! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAaW_1FzYg
sw20,
Dec 21, 7:00pm
I can hear the totalitarian catch cry now. If you aren't doing anything wrong you have nothing to fear!
elect70,
Dec 21, 7:54pm
Big brother intrudes on our life too much as it is , it could recieve a fine if for speeding if s being transmitted . But i fear its already happening by stealth & owners arent aware of it . Trucks already have it but not sure if its factory fit or by owners
tamarillo,
Dec 21, 8:21pm
because someone would come up with a cheat you can add, or fix next it to make it black out. its called FREEDOM and its what motoring is all about.
tony9,
Dec 21, 9:51pm
What, freedom to contribute to an accident but be able to deny it and/or destroy evidence?
kazbanz,
Dec 21, 11:06pm
it would definitely add a whole dimension to insurance and policing. "just a quick roadside speed and breath check sir." "how long have you been driving this car today sir?" "ohh dear sir I see the car was driven at 106km/h on three occasions in the last hour sir" --Heres your four tickets.-three for speeding and the fourth a bus ticket to get home." Insurer- "Im sorry sir but as you were driving at 106km/h in the moments before the crash we must decline your claim"
tamarillo,
Dec 21, 11:21pm
No freedom on the wider sense of being out there exploring or travelling and not having big brother know and watch. Motoring is freedom, if it wasn't we'd all use public transport and not care care that we can't get where we want when we want. Things like this intrude on that freedom and assume we Implicitely trust the state to make best descisions for us, which they clearly can't do re our road toll.
Excuse terrible spelling
medcare,
Dec 21, 11:46pm
How to waste an hour on the Internet.
After posting the link to the insurance discount for young drivers in the UK who install a " black box" I thought I'd see just what does insurance cost a young 17-20 year old person in the UK.
The minimum for 3rd party only is about 1,000 pounds ($2,000) and that is 3rd party, no fire, no theft.
Comprehensive insurance is on average 2,500 pounds ($5,000) BUT there are SO many exclusions under comprehensive, you have to answer 50 questions about make, model, engine size, parking, usage, hours of driving, commuting, long distance travel, socialising etc etc.
You even have to buy "insurance miles" like 6,000 or 8,000 or 10,000 miles per year. And add extra miles (at an extra cost) if you need to.
Ultimately a young person can only get comprehensive insurance for $4-5,000 for the most basic 1500cc car, driven to church and back on Sundays and only if you have a a good driving record and a $3,000 excess.
If you have a $20,000 car, park it outside, use it for commuting and have had a speeding ticket or 2, (let alone an actual accident) then they sky is the limit on even 3rd party insurance premiums.
Mate. we don't know how lucky we are.
2get1,
Dec 22, 1:03am
never going to happen, country is nanny state enough as it, what next little video CCTV monitoring in our homes to make sure we only eat healthy food and don't smack our kids
trogedon,
Dec 22, 2:08am
I wouldn't mind a bit of contact with my Big Brothers. such is our family.
bigfatmat1,
Dec 22, 2:40am
Because not all cars have the capabilities. Let alone common standards in nz amongst the rest to enable it.
ignition328,
Dec 22, 3:05am
I run a dash cam, no GPS speed display. Just the time and HD video of everything in front of me. Has a small screen that shows what the camera is seeing. It actually calms me down quite a bit having it because A)I know I'm on my own film and B)I have no need to force morons who have almost caused an incident to immediately stop or struggle catching up to nab the plate, I just flick the card into my laptop and pull the footage up.
I actually highly recommend installing them, making it mandatory is a bit much but private companies offering incentives is great. I want something decent for my motorbike now because people have real swipes at me sometimes and it would be nice to have footage handy for maximum sting in court when something significant happens again.
elect70,
Dec 22, 8:11pm
Just like your smart meter power bill ,your next new car will have mobile transmit device permanantly installed & able to be accessed by plod any time with record of the cars speed over past month . Expect to get mail box full of tickets & loss of license in short time .
trogedon,
Dec 22, 8:19pm
What if the orange (or even black) box doesn't match the Playboy seat covers and the Dream catcher dangler in the interior?
This is the states but many of our cars already have them Commodores and Falcons come to mind
2get1,
Dec 23, 1:16am
don't think so. not in our life time. as much as we have turned into a weak kneed nanny state this wont happen.
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