-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- http://www.apbnews.com/safetycenter/transport/2000/03/16/blackboxes0316_01.html Black Boxes Come Down to Earth Once Only for Plane Crashes, Devices Now on Cars, Trains, Buses March 16, 2000 By Ann Ferrar DETROIT (APBnews.com) -- They are the elusive objects investigators seek after an airplane crashes. Black boxes tell the hidden story: what was going on, what the pilot was doing and what condition the airplane was in before the accident. And now they are finding their way into cars. The technical name for the devices is event data retrieval units (EDRUs). They work continuously, but only save in memory the data recorded in the last five seconds before a crash. At impact, the device also records what researchers call delta-v, the velocity of the crash itself. (A crash into a brick wall, for example, at 20 mph, would have a delta-v of 20). What EDRUs do is yield critical information about crashes, especially when there are no bystanders available. "This is the only unbiased eyewitness available," said John Hinch, a research engineer at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to the NHTSA, there are 6,335,000 severe car crashes a year, or 17,350 a day, in the United States. "Cars are designed in labs and tested with certain benchmarks against walls, curbs and potholes," Hinch said. "But in the real world ... we really don't know how a car will behave in every situation. The devices provide us with real-life data that will help manufacturers develop better crash sensor technology." The data also can help police and insurance companies figure out what happened, Hinch said. Latest models have them General Motors Corp. (GM) and Ford both have begun installing black boxes in their latest models. Since 1999, EDRUs have been put in the airbag sensor systems of nine of GM's model lines to record pre-crash vehicle speed, engine rpm, whether or not the driver applied the brake and how much foot pressure was applied on the gas pedal. The black boxes are put under the driver or passenger seat or under the dashboard and have been built into the Pontiac Firebird; Chevy Camaro and Corvette; Buick Park Avenue, Regal and Century; and Cadillac SeVille, El Dorado, and DeVille. The latest EDRUs are the third generation of a device first installed by GM in the late 1980s. The early version recorded whether the driver had his seatbelt on and how much time elapsed between impact and airbag deployment. The second version, introduced on some cars in 1994, also recorded the velocity of the crash. Secrecy limits data Ford has installed what it calls a Personal Safety System, a limited version of the EDRU, on its Taurus and Mercury Sable model lines. Ford's system uses sensors to analyze certain crash conditions and automatically deploy the most suitable safety devices for the situation, including dual-stage airbags for the driver and front-seat passenger. GM, however, is the first manufacturer to make the data accessible to consumers. This spring, a tool will be introduced that will enable consumers to retrieve the data themselves and download it onto a computer. Until then, such information is proprietary -- available only to the manufacturers and to NHTSA with the car owner's permission. This secrecy is the reason, partly, why not much data exists on the devices. NHTSA expects to gather data on several hundred cases within the next couple of years. Hinch predicts that most or all GM cars will have the devices by the end of 2002. The government has so far denied petitions to make event recorders mandatory. "We need to study them more and ascertain their usefulness," Hinch said. Industry insiders and some NHTSA officials believe the retrieved data has the potential to help manufacturers design safer cars and, eventually, to help the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) write new federal safe car standards. Crash injury researchers believe the devices will pave the way to a new understanding of how people are injured in crashes -- possibly helping emergency medics and doctors to better tailor patient treatment and include diagnostics for serious injuries they might otherwise miss. So far, the government has not imposed any standards for accuracy. How well the devices perform is at the discretion of each manufacturer. The devices work by a series of electronic sensors. Much like an office computer network, the car's computers share information with each other via a serial data bus, a wire that allows the computers to "talk" to each other. Trains, buses using them The devices also are being installed in buses. The Houston Independent School District is randomly installing the units in 500 of the 1,400 buses. The devices measure speed, idle time, hard braking pressure and acceleration. Officials say they will serve as bus drivers' "report cards" to grade performance, and will aid investigators in examining citizen complaints about unsafe driving. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has mandated event recorders in trains. Metro North, which operates the second-largest commuter railroad in the nation, installed the devices in some 600 locomotive train cars. They record speed, braking, the position of the controller -- a kind of tiller for acceleration and deceleration -- what kind of track signals were received in the cab and how the engineer responded. Is Big Brother watching? Automobile crash data recorders "remember" only what happened the last five seconds before impact; they cannot show a driver's habitual patterns, such as whether a driver constantly goes over the speed limit. "The term 'black box' means different things to different people," Hinch said. "When NHTSA requests the data, all personal identifying information about the car owner is purged. We look solely at the numbers." But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has misgivings. "A lot of these schemes start out with the best of intentions, but the loss of personal civil liberties always begins with the best intentions of our government or some other entity," said Emily Whitfield, a spokeswoman for the national ACLU, which is headquartered in New York. The ACLU is concerned that insurance companies and litigators could use the data against claimants -- or that it could be turned over to the police. "It's unclear as to who will have access to the data that's collected and what the information will be used for," Whitfield said. "Buyer beware. You may be safer, but you may be more vulnerable to invasion of privacy and legal liability." Finally, the ACLU objects to crash data recorders being pre-installed in a vehicle without the driver's consent. "If you're going to put these things in the car, let the consumer know so [he or she] can make an informed choice about whether to buy that car or another one without the device," Whitfield said. NTSB to conduct hearings In June, the NTSB will conduct hearings on transportation recorders and the legal ramifications of their use, examining such issues as whether police and the courts have the right to subpoena the electronic data. And what if the recorded information conflicts with witness accounts? "It's too early to tell," said Terry Rhadigan, a GM spokesman. "That will be determined on a case-by-case basis. It's important to remember that these devices are just another source of information," he said. "In the event of a crash, we have to look at everything holistically to figure out what happened. Accidents happen so quickly [that] they seem almost surreal, and sometimes the facts or the chronology are difficult for people to recreate. The devices are not foolproof, but they are pretty accurate." Interpretation still crucial Hinch doesn't believe black boxes will eliminate investigators. "You need someone to interpret the data. If you're on ice and skidding at 50 mph, the computer thinks you're going zero, because the wheels aren't spinning. Yet you're really sliding along the ice at 50 mph. "There are already methods for interpreting a crash. Investigators look at skid marks, how much of the car is crushed and so on. The new recorders will simply give investigators another tool to do the job more expertly." Ann Ferrar is an APBnews.com correspondent in New York. -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ________________________________________________________ 1stUp.com - Free the Web® Get your free Internet access at http://www.1stUp.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! 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