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Toyota Black Box Data Is More Closed Than Others'

Posted by timothy on from the in-the-dark dept.

wjr writes "Many cars these days contain black boxes that record information (speed, accelerator position, etc) and can preserve information in the case of an accident. Ford and Chrysler say that they use 'open systems' so anyone can read out the data; General Motors has licensed Bosch to produce a device capable of reading its cars' black boxes. On the other hand, Toyota has only a single laptop in the US capable of reading its cars' black boxes, and generally won't allow the data to be read without a court order. Honda seems to have a similar policy. This is emerging as an issue in the investigation into unintended acceleration."

3 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. It could be that Toyota is just being responsible by OrwellianLurker · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Toyota ... generally won't allow the data to be read without a court order.

    All it takes is a court order. So essentially the only thing slowing the investigations would be an unwilling Federal government.

    --
    'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' - Mao Tse-tung
  2. Re:Let's nip this Toyota bashing in the bud by Lehk228 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    those failing tires? were made by bridgestone/firestone, a japanese company.

    and the pinto?

    However, a 1991 law review paper by Gary Schwartz[17] claimed the case against the Pinto was less clear-cut than commonly supposed. The number who died in Pinto rear-impact fires, according to Schwartz, was well below the hundreds cited in contemporary news reports and closer to the twenty-seven recorded by a limited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. Given the Pinto's production figures (over 2 million built), this was not substantially worse than typical for the time. Schwartz argued that the car was no more fire-prone than other cars of the time, that its fatality rates were lower than comparably sized imported automobiles, and that the supposed "smoking gun" document that plaintiffs claimed showed Ford's callousness in designing the Pinto was actually a document based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations about the value of a human life rather than a document containing an assessment of Ford's potential tort liability.

    --
    Snowden and Manning are heroes.
  3. "voluntary" == gun to head by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hah. In most cases "voluntary" means doing something with a gun to your head.
    Want insurance (which you're required to have)? Better "voluntarily" open up that black box data.
    Want to not be arrested? Better "voluntarily" open up that black box data.
    Want to get your emissions checked? Better "voluntarily" open up that black box data.
    Want to get a license for that car? Better "voluntarily" open up that black box data and let us connect it to an auto-ticketing device.

    And so on....

    The problem is a lot of "voluntary" things quickly become non-voluntary (i.e. forcibly waived) if you are to get standard services.