In the United States, vehicle and highway safety is the shared responsibility of government, industry and the public. Historically, industry-wide standardization, federally mandated regulation and/or aggressive state legislation initiatives traditionally lead to enhanced safety. Occasionally, safety advocates strengthen rulemaking through judicial appeal. This paper traces efforts to regulate motor vehicle event data recorders (EDRs) - commonly called black boxes - in the United States between 1997 and 2005. Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are functions within one or more vehicle electronic modules that capture vehicle and restraint information in the event of a crash in which air bags may or may not deploy. Since 1998, the EDR function in light vehicles (under GVWR 10,000 lbs) is typically housed in a control module, such as the sensing and diagnostic module, the engine control module or the stability control or 4-wheel steering modules. These modules are located in various places in the vehicle, such as under a front seat, in the center console or under the dash. The objective throughout this paper is to provide a history of EDR regulation, legislation and standardization thus highlighting challenges and opportunities towards public acceptance of these important emerging technologies (A). For the covering abstract of the conference see E217780.
Abstract