EDR devices or popularly called black boxes will collect a lot of detailed data and will be mandatory in the new models from July 6, 2022.
Modern cars are so full of electronics that they can safely be called a computer on wheels. Assistance, driving and safety systems use a range of sensors to monitor each driving parameter. What happens to all the data they collect? As early as 2022, that issue will be resolved by the authorities of the European Union.
From 2024, all new cars will have to be equipped with numerous devices. This includes event data recorders, ie. EDR. The European Commission has presented a draft law that will define the data collected by black boxes.
According to the EC proposal, the data from the device will not be available wirelessly, and access to the disk for their download will be possible only after unlocking the vehicle door. This protects drivers from data leakage into the wrong hands. The basic data collected by EDR will be the make and model of the vehicle, its variant and equipment. What about the details?
What black boxes will record:
vehicle speed between 0 and 250 km / h in 5 seconds before the collision,
the degree of depressing of the accelerator pedal within 5 seconds before impact,
activating the brake within 5 seconds before impact,
steering wheel movements within 5 seconds before impact,
changes in longitudinal and lateral velocities during the collision,
condition of seat belts (fastened / unfastened) within 1 second before collision,
engine speed,
ABS activation,
vehicle tilt angle,
operation of the belt stabilization system,
airbag deployment,
the position of the front seats (the computer’s decision to activate the airbag),
the status of the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) indicator at the second time before the collision
cruise control operation 5 seconds before impact,
status of active driver assistance systems
The list may get longer
Data collected by event registrars are used to analyze the course of accidents in order to increase the level of road safety. If you think that the list of parameters that will be saved in EDR is long, you must know that it can still be changed.
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the law and is already having its first results. The German Road Safety Council calls on the EU to go even further and gather accurate information on the time and place of the incident. According to the organization, without that, a detailed analysis of the risk of accidents on European roads is not possible. It will also be impossible to see dangerous areas on the map or weak points in electronic systems designed to prevent collisions.
What about privacy?
Among the systems that will deliver information to the car’s black box, the draft of the new regulations does not include a system for detecting driver fatigue. Some drivers feared it could be a far-reaching invasion of privacy. Why?
It is true that most of these systems present in cars use the analysis of steering wheel movement and reaction time to detect fatigue or interference, but such systems are not perfect. That’s why some brands, like Volvo or Mazda, have developed a system that also takes into account the image from the camera aimed at the driver. In this way, it can be detected if the driver closes his eyes for more than a fraction of a second needed to blink. This could lead to the driver images being stored in a black box. Most likely, that will not happen, because the proposal of the European Commission does not envisage the collection of such data.
When Black box is mandatory?
The new regulations should come into force on July 6, 2022. Then homologated event registers will become mandatory in all new car models coming out of the showroom. From July 7, 2024, equipment will be mandatory for all new cars sold in the European Union.
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source: jonesday