Widespread deployment of Event Data Recorders (EDRs), sometimes called 'black boxes', promise a new and unique glimpse of the events that occur during a highway traffic collision. The EDR in a colliding vehicle can provide a comprehensive snapshot of the entire crash event (pre-crash, crash, and post-crash). In 2004, an estimated 40 million passenger vehicles were equipped with EDRs. By carefully collecting and analyzing the details provided by the growing number of EDR-equipped vehicles, state transportation agencies, federal agencies, and the highway safety research community have an unprecedented opportunity to understand the interaction of the vehicle-roadside-driver system as experienced in thousands of U.S. highway accidents each year. State and federal transportation agencies can expect both immediate and longer term benefits from the collection of EDR data. Also, state and federal transportation agencies can expect to incur both startup and operational costs associated with EDR data collection. EDRs are a rapidly evolving and, in many ways, still immature technology. This NCHRP project has developed several recommendations for enhancement of these devices to meet the specific needs of highway crash data analysis. These recommendations include the adoption of the standardized set of data elements included in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on EDRs (2004), the addition of a specialized list of data elements which would assist roadside crash safety research, as well as a list of other required improvements to EDR performance and data download methods. The project also developed a recommended EDR Database format for state and federal transportation agencies which seek to collect and systematically store EDR data. While the preceding technological issues are challenging, they are solvable. More uncertain are the concerns which have been raised about the legal and public acceptability of the widespread collection of EDR data. Much of the public hesitation to accept EDRs has revolved around the recording of pre-crash data, e.g., vehicle speed, rather than the crashworthiness data, e.g. crash pulse. Pre-crash data can be used to directly evaluate a driver's responsibility for a crash. This report presents the findings of two special studies, conducted as part of this research project, which specifically examine the legal issues surrounding EDRs and the consumer acceptability of EDR data collection. (Author/publisher). This report may be accessed by Internet users at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_w75.pdf
Samenvatting