The Little Black Box

By Author: Marcus Stalder
Total Articles: 491
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When an airplane crashes, we've all been brainwashed into watching the search for the black box. That's the onboard recording device that captures what the pilots were saying as the plane fell from the sky as well as storing all the technical information from the instruments. We're told it's vital to be able to explain why each aircraft crashes. After all, the larger planes carry many passengers and, if one were to crash into a city center, it could do a lot of damage. We all have an interest in reducing the risk of air accidents. That's why we're hooked as television cameras record submarines going down to search the seabed to recover these vital boxes and as many bits of the plane as possible. Remarkably, experts rebuild as much of the plane as possible to see more clearly what damage was sustained before the plane hit the ground or fell into the sea.

Have you heard of event data recorders (EDR)? These are the little black boxes for the vehicles we drive on our roads. In 2008, a report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) admitted between 65 and 90% of vehicles were already fitted ...
... with EDRs. The reason for the big range in the estimate is easy to explain. Almost every new vehicle rolling off the assembly line has an EDR fitted. It's been a standard component for many years. But it's not entirely clear how many older vehicles are still driving around without one of these recording devices inside. All we can say is that, as we slowly throw the old vehicles away, we'll slowly move up to 100% installation. How can you tell whether your vehicle has an EDR? Curiously, until 2011, manufacturers did not have to tell you. Now, if you look in the driver's manual, you'll find confirmation.

Why should you care? Well, the NHTSA lists all the information these devices are supposed to collect. It's very comprehensive, showing exactly what you were doing in the minute or so before the accident, i.e., how fast you were driving, whether you swerved, applied the brakes, whether you were wearing your seat belt, and so on. Anyone getting hold of this information can reconstruct how the accident occurred. You'll be pleased to know EDR data is increasingly used to prosecute cases of vehicular manslaughter. Your insurance company will be able to compare your description of the accident with the EDR data. So, if you said you had to swerve to avoid an alligator on the road as you drove through the Everglades, you'd better be sure the EDR will tell the same story of a violent maneuver while braking sharply.

The EDR holds out the possibility of being able to detect more fraud, e.g. that you weren't driving fast enough to cause the whiplash injury you now claim. If insurance companies can filter out more dishonest claims, this will reduce the overall cost of loss and, if the insurers are honest, reduce the auto insurance rates. Across the US, it's estimated that several billion dollars in fraudulent claims are successful. Reducing this means more affordable if not cheap auto insurance for all us honest drivers.