Your car has a Black Box just like the airplanes do!

[prova4re]

Did you know what a CDRK is
CDRK stands for, crash data retrieval kit.
All cars in North America since 1997 have one.

What is that you ask?
In the event of a crash it helps deploy the air bags in a car.
It also records just about everything else that was going on in your car.
It is a black box just like the airplanes use.
It can tell what air bag went off, the speed you were traveling at,
if you applied the brakes prior to the crash, and for how long.
It doesn't stop there, the newer the car the more info it records.
The latest ones record g force, if your seat belt was on, if you had a passenger in the car, how loud the music was, what the temp was in and out of the car. etc.......etc.

Its a good thing right?
Think again.
After a crash the police take this box and reconstruct the crash.
Your insurance company, can and will get the information that has been recorded on this box as well.

They will use this info to settle who was at fault.
They also can see what your driving behavior has been like for any given amount of time. Depending on how old your car is.

The dealers are soon going to have accesses to this info.
Scary stuff. imo

 

[Elite]

I guess I am never going to own a car newer than 96'

 

[4AU4LIFE]

It also records just about everything else that was going on in your car.

That is crash related.

It is a black box just like the airplanes use

Same concept but not exactly.

It can tell what air bag went off

Because it is the airbag monitor.

the speed you were traveling at

The speed is figured by the force at which the bag(s) were deployed. Since the later bag are multiple stage rather than just single.

how loud the music was

Only if OEM unit is there. Aftermarket doesn't count because monitor has no way of knowing Db intensity, i.e. microphone.

what the temp was in and out of the car

Only if car is equipped with temp sensors already.

They also can see what your driving behavior has been like for any given amount of time

Not quite. Right now it is only for a very short time frame before an impact. For instance, when you drive your new car off the lot and put 15K miles and then get in accident, this monitor hasn't been recording your habits for that entire time. Rather for only a few seconds to a minute before crash.

if you had a passenger in the car,

Only because there are sensors in seat for restraint purposes. Such as a little person doesn't require the same amount of force by an airbag as a bigger person would.

 

[lemansnsx]

These have actually existed in automobiles longer than you indicate. Some GM products have them as far back as 1974 according to this NHTSA document.

There was a story on the web recently about a guy who claimed to have been doing no more than 50mph at the time of the accident. The black box showed his actual speed to have been more than twice that. "Ownership" of this data is somewhat of a grey area.

 

[Ojas]

All cars in North America since 1997 have one.

All…since 97?!? That's news to me, but does not sound quite right. May I respectfully ask the source of this statement?

Regardless of whether or not this statement is true, you're right about the legal/privacy/civil rights issues being a mess.

The editorial below states “Just about every airbag-equipped vehicle ever built by General Motors and many Ford products built since 1998…keep some record of the driving behavior of the vehicle prior to a crash that involves the airbag system.”

 

[Tony Montoya]

What a crock from Csere! If the car is doing 2x the speed limit before a crash we have the right to that info. If you are over the speed limit you can still be absolved of blame in an accident if your speed was reasonable for the conditions,ie. nobody is going to jail for being 5mph over. It is still up to a judge to decide blame in an accident but the info provided from the BB can help clarify matters.
Doom and gloomers how say it's the slippery slope to having GPS and cameras in our cars watching our every move are paranoid.

My 2 cents.

 

[prova4re]

I was watching CBC here in Canada they did a long story on it.
They went to about 10 dealers and asked them why it wasn't clearly stated in the manual, that these tings were getting recorded.
Then they went to GM and asked them, now GM has or is putting it in.

I should have typed (a given time), instead of (any given time.)
My bad.

As far as the time frame they said as far back as 20 minn.
On the latest 2004 version.

92NSX
I agree with every one of your points.

 

[RP-Motorsports]

New cell phones now have "hidden" GPS tracking. I can see some positives. It will tell emergency locations, it could give or take away proof of whereabouts say to a crime investigation etc.

BUT next will be watches, clothes, I.D.'s bikes, shoes etc. You will have to go out naked to have any privacy! That is till the next time you go to the dentist and they put a secret chip into your tooth!

 

[KGP]

New cell phones now have "hidden" GPS tracking. I can see some positives.

I can too. Anyone see the Discovery Channel's show called Covert Action - Operation Iron Grip? Last night they showed the story of an Al Qedia agent who was procuring anthrax. CIA tracked him to Mexico and some Seals were sent in and took him and others out. Tracked him to the location by implanting a cell phone battery with a hidden GS device.

 

[4AU4LIFE]

92NSX, I agree with every one of your points.

Thank for saying that. Very kind to hear someone say on here that they agree with what I had to say.
I really appreciate it.

 

[nosboy4life]

there is a downside to this black box thing...........but i wonder if is possible to modify it to your needs, like to not show what speed you were goin so the cops cant use it against you.

 

[White92]

I work in the auto insurance industry and have never seen or heard of a single claim where this "black box" was ever brought up. We tend to use witnesses, police reports, who was ticketed etc.. to decide fault.

 

[lemansnsx]

I work in the auto insurance industry and have never seen or heard of a single claim where this "black box" was ever brought up. We tend to use witnesses, police reports, who was ticketed etc.. to decide fault.

Then perhaps you might want to take a look at this press release about what is being offered to your industry.

 

[White92]

Good link. That would be great to use. We currently don't utilize anything like that, but I could probably see the larger insurance companies using this in the future.

 

[lemansnsx]

Good link. That would be great to use. We currently don't utilize anything like that, but I could probably see the larger insurance companies using this in the future.

For $2500 you can have your very own kit.
Wonder how long it will be before some bright spark comes out with a kit to erase/alter the information stored? Think I need to call my friend the electronics wizard with a new business idea...

 

[steveny]

Great. Now all that needs to be done is to link it to the siren and emergency lights in police vehicles. Any time a police car exceeds the speed limit without the emergency lights and/or the siren on...ticket for the cop.

 

[lemansnsx]

Great. Now all that needs to be done is to link it to the siren and emergency lights in police vehicles. Any time a police car exceeds the speed limit without the emergency lights and/or the siren on...ticket for the cop.

Now that's finding a good use for this technology!