1. Motorist’s do not know much about automotive ‘black box’ event data recorders (EDRs)
2. Many modern vehicles include ‘black box’ event data recorders (EDRs) that collect data for post-crash analysis.
3. EDRs are installed to enhance vehicle and highway safety.
5. Only 17 states have EDR privacy statutes.
6. The Driver’s Privacy Act of 2015 cites that the vehicle owner or lessee “owns” the crash data.
7. Electronic intensive vehicles are unsecure from hacking, data tampering, odometer fraud and vehicle theft.
8. Crash data is readily available to others who can download without your knowledge or permission.
9. Neither new car dealers or federal regulators provide adequate consumer protection against misuse of crash data.
10. It is now possible to empower the vehicle owner / lessee / motorist with a simple black box lock. A nationwide vehicle crash security network is under development.
Thomas M. Kowalick is Chair of IEEE-1616a, author of FATAL EXIT: The Automotive Black Box Debate (Wiley) and Founder at AIRMIKA INC., the manufacturer of the AUTOCYB vehicle cyber security lock and the nationwide online car crash service under development.
