An essential security upgrade for your car or light truck

The high-point of vehicle ownership is the day you purchase. The low-point is when you crash.

In the 2020 decade, the ‘Automotive Expert Rabbit Hole’ in America will get much deeper. Recently, I went to Wal-Mart and parked near the automotive section. A friendly auto mechanic asked if I needed any help. So I requested a quote on 4 tires. He told me to come inside…

Driving Freedoms is the official publication of The National Motorist Association Foundation, Inc. The Fall 2019 cover story updates issues concerning automotive ‘black box’ Event Data Recorders (EDRs).

“Oh _HIT” is what everyone yells or quietly thinks when involved in a vehicle crash. Then “What Now” thinking focuses on if everybody is ok. Once that is determined, cell phones report the bad news to family and friends. Soon, the police show-up (maybe?), …

There are five modes of transportation in America: Aviation, Railroad, Marine, Pipeline and Highway. Each mode uses data recorders. Aviation was the first and Highway is the latest and most controversial. From 1998 to 2015, I helped put automotive ‘black box’ Event Data Recorders (EDRs) in cars and light trucks…

Thomas M. Kowalick is Chair of IEEE-1616a, author of FATAL EXIT: The Automotive Black Box Debate (Wiley) and Founder at AIRMIKA INC., the…

In 2017, there were 272,480,899 registered in America. We love our vehicles.

Since 1996, when automakers first installed ‘black box’ event data recorders (EDRs) in cars and light trucks vehicle owners have had zero means to safeguard access to crash data. Today, millions of vehicles have EDRs, yet consumer awareness of how they work is very low. Simply put, they collect and…