Air Bag Data Recorder
Discussion
Cant see this posted already, and was a while ago now, but here it is anyway.
Air Bag Data Recorder Nails Killer Driver.....
Evidence from a car air bag's electronic data recorder played a vital part in sending a drunk driver who killed two girls to prison for 30 years.
Edwin Matos, 47, was drunk and speeding in a suburb near Fort Lauderdale, Florida when his Matos' 2002 Pontiac Grand Am ploughed into a car driven by a teenage girl who pulled out of a driveway into his path.
Jamie Maier, 16, and her friend, Paige Kupperman, 17, were both killed instantly by the resulting crash last August. Matos survived.
In court last month, Matos's lawyers claimed he was travelling 60 mph in a 30 mph zone. But data from the air bag's electronic data recorder showed he was travelling at 114 mph seconds before the crash.
This evidence contributed to Circuit Judge James Cohn decision to sentence Matos to a maximum 30 years imprisonment when he was convicted on two counts of manslaughter for his crimes. The Judge also ordered Matos to pay more than $17,000 to the two girl's families for funeral expenses, AP reports.
Data recorders in air bags can record a car's speed and deceleration and other data such as the pressure on a brake pedal at the time of a crash.
An estimated 10 million vehicles in the US are fitted with such recorders, which vehicle manufacturers began putting in vehicles in the 1990s to test air bag performance.
In recent year court prosecutors have begun using information from these data recorders, the existence of which most drivers will be unaware, in criminal prosecutions, AP reports.
ALSO :
Car giant General Motors is facing a lawsuit claiming that it has violated privacy laws by installing black box recorders in its vehicles to record information about speed, braking and seat belt use in the moments leading up to a crash, reports Bloomberg.
The suit claims that the world's largest car company failed to tell motorists about the existence of the recorders, saying the devices are aimed solely at helping to design safer cars and to help investigators in accident reconstruction. GM is alleged to have failed to inform motorists about the existence of the devices or what they do, amounting to an invasion of privacy.
Eight 1999 US models are listed in the complaint: the Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro; the Pontiac Firebird; the Cadillac DeVille, El Dorado, and Seville; and the Buick Century and Park Avenue.
The modules in the Cadillac DeVille also record speed, engine RPM, brake and throttle data.
"We think that our collection and use of the data is legal and appropriate," said a GM spokesperson. "When accidents occur, the device is providing a level of precision that you may not have otherwise in a crash situation."
"Our policy is that we have to get the vehicle owner's permission," they added. "If the owner requests it, they can get a copy of downloaded data."
"In most instances, the recording has been taking place without the owners ever knowing about it," said a lawyer for the plaintiff, one Sherry Valan. "It raises very troubling questions about informed consent."
The lawsuit also alleges that GM also has used the data against at least one car owner to defend a product liability suit.
Air Bag Data Recorder Nails Killer Driver.....
Evidence from a car air bag's electronic data recorder played a vital part in sending a drunk driver who killed two girls to prison for 30 years.
Edwin Matos, 47, was drunk and speeding in a suburb near Fort Lauderdale, Florida when his Matos' 2002 Pontiac Grand Am ploughed into a car driven by a teenage girl who pulled out of a driveway into his path.
Jamie Maier, 16, and her friend, Paige Kupperman, 17, were both killed instantly by the resulting crash last August. Matos survived.
In court last month, Matos's lawyers claimed he was travelling 60 mph in a 30 mph zone. But data from the air bag's electronic data recorder showed he was travelling at 114 mph seconds before the crash.
This evidence contributed to Circuit Judge James Cohn decision to sentence Matos to a maximum 30 years imprisonment when he was convicted on two counts of manslaughter for his crimes. The Judge also ordered Matos to pay more than $17,000 to the two girl's families for funeral expenses, AP reports.
Data recorders in air bags can record a car's speed and deceleration and other data such as the pressure on a brake pedal at the time of a crash.
An estimated 10 million vehicles in the US are fitted with such recorders, which vehicle manufacturers began putting in vehicles in the 1990s to test air bag performance.
In recent year court prosecutors have begun using information from these data recorders, the existence of which most drivers will be unaware, in criminal prosecutions, AP reports.
ALSO :
Car giant General Motors is facing a lawsuit claiming that it has violated privacy laws by installing black box recorders in its vehicles to record information about speed, braking and seat belt use in the moments leading up to a crash, reports Bloomberg.
The suit claims that the world's largest car company failed to tell motorists about the existence of the recorders, saying the devices are aimed solely at helping to design safer cars and to help investigators in accident reconstruction. GM is alleged to have failed to inform motorists about the existence of the devices or what they do, amounting to an invasion of privacy.
Eight 1999 US models are listed in the complaint: the Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro; the Pontiac Firebird; the Cadillac DeVille, El Dorado, and Seville; and the Buick Century and Park Avenue.
The modules in the Cadillac DeVille also record speed, engine RPM, brake and throttle data.
"We think that our collection and use of the data is legal and appropriate," said a GM spokesperson. "When accidents occur, the device is providing a level of precision that you may not have otherwise in a crash situation."
"Our policy is that we have to get the vehicle owner's permission," they added. "If the owner requests it, they can get a copy of downloaded data."
"In most instances, the recording has been taking place without the owners ever knowing about it," said a lawyer for the plaintiff, one Sherry Valan. "It raises very troubling questions about informed consent."
The lawsuit also alleges that GM also has used the data against at least one car owner to defend a product liability suit.
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