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NTSB Recommends Black Boxes For All Cars

Posted by timothy on from the we-know-what-you-did-last-summer dept.

linuxwrangler writes "Officials at the National Transportation Safety Board are recommending the government require data recorders in all passenger vehicles. David Sobel of EPIC says his group has privacy concerns - especially when drivers are unaware of the presence of the devices. Auto black-boxes have been covered here before."

3 of 612 comments (clear)

  1. why not? by Galadhrim · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I don't see why not? I mean if you never break the law then why be bothered with it? Ok they will always know where you are going, but they can also just follow you by car and get the same results. This way criminals and terrorists can be caught and I think this is more important than being against something that will probably never influence you live.

  2. How is this a bad thing? by King_of_Prussia · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Imagine this situation: Your teenage daughter is going out to the library to study with some friends. On the way back a drunken homeless man driving at 200 km/h hits her head on, killing her instantly. He survives, and drives away. They find him and his car 3 days later. You want to know whether you can charge him with murder or just manslaughter, and the CSI team are unable to determine how fast he was going - enter the black box. Would you deny the comfort of putting criminals like that away to grieving parents the world over?

    These devices are nothing more than recorders after all, nobody could remotely get the information off them. I also doubt they would be used for convicting people for speeding offences, just look at the issues people already have with unreliable speed cameras! I say we go ahead with this technology, not just in cars but other vehicles. Imagine what use this could be in aeroplanes - the data gathered before crashes could be lifesaving in the future!

    --

    Making the moon less necessary since 1998.

  3. Re:Why don't we just skip all this stuff... by dave420 · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    1. If the US is such a great bastion of democracy, why is it having such a difficult time showing that to the rest of the world? Why is its government not listening to public consensus? If America wasn't a huge mistake, why is it so crappy now? High crime rate, lots of poor people, causing terrorism around the world, etc. Hardly something for any country to aspire to. Not to mention the corrupt politicians who only represent big business. I find it hilarious someone can even stand up for it. It's a shambles. I have read a lot of history. Funnily enough, there was a lot more before the US came into being. The US wasn't founded on great principles. The bill of rights was just a rehashing of the Magna Carta, signed in 1215. If the US was so down with the bill of rights, etc., then why did it declare war on Canada in 1812, and why did it kill all the Indians. What happened to a right to live? What about the abuse of slaves until the 19th century? What about the use of Chinese labourers to build the railroads, and their systematic destruction?

    You can go on believing the US government even cares about you. Unless you contribute 6 figures to their party every year, you're nothing. Get used to it.

    2. Not every time. Ever heard of hit and runs? That's when someone drives recklessly, has an accident, and escapes without getting a ticket. If that's possible, it's even more possible for someone to drive recklessly, and get away with it. That's just plain logic.

    3. The information only gets sent to the cops (in fact, they're only even notified) when you have an accident. When you have an accident, you've broken the law. It's that simple. Because of that, you are now the business of the police and the government. It's called society, and by living in it you agree to obide by the rules.

    4. Traffic accidents are never black and white. If two cars collide, there will be endless speculation from the people involved as to who caused the problem. Having a black box could show you in the clear, or it could condemn you. Either way, the guilty party (and ONLY the guilty party) gets punished. It's got nothing to do with benevolence. The black boxes are only examined after a crash, and not because you've necessarily done something wrong, but to clear up any doubts about an incident that could have affected anyone on the road in the area. It's society being responsible to those living in it. Hardly something to be scared off. I bet you have a problem with postmen - after all, they're government employees WHO HANDLE YOUR MAIL! They even know where you live! Innocent until proven guilty! so scary!

    5. Of course everyone should have insurance. Otherwise, people are put in a position where someone can do something to them, and they are liable to the damages caused by someone else. That's hardly fair. If you crash your car and drive off, there will be evidence for it. That evidence is then compounded by the black box, which provides a complete picture of the accident from your car's perspective. Obviously it's not a legal universal bandaid, but it would clear up so much uncertainty in many road accidents.

    6. You've side-stepped my point completely. My point isn't that the government won't do anything bad, but if they are likely to, they need to be changed. If you actually read what I was saying, you would realise that. Bashing on about my supposed trust for everyone and anything is ridiculous. I'm saying that the technology can work flawlessly. Any problem with it would be due to the powers that be, which ultimately we decide who they are. Therefor, any shortcomings are our fault, and should be addressed. Blaming bad people for why good technology fails is just stupid. Do something about the bad people.

    And, btw, mod scores on slashdot mean nothing. Bias is everything on here. If it cheers you up or makes you feel loved, then that's cool. I guess libertarians take what they can. ;)