Motor Vehicle Accident Data Addressed By Accident Lawyer

Motor vehicle accident data is becoming more and more available to third parties as electronic sophistication grows.  Many cars that are currently on the road record speed, direction, gear setting and when brakes activate and for how long as a matter of record within the electronic data recorder.

Some recording systems can also track whether road surfaces are slick and whether the driver is wearing a seatbelt. 

Proposed new federal safety rules would require all new cars by 2014 to become equipped with these “black boxes” to save vehicle information on the final seconds before a crash. 

General Motors has announced plans to install high-speed wireless connections on all of its vehicles beginning in the year 2015.  With this increased level of sophistication, a host of data may be available which could potentially be pirated by third parties.

At present, there are few U.S. laws that govern these issues and consumers have very little control over who may be able to see this data or how it is used.

Another feature that is being discussed is one that would alert owners by text message if their car is bumped by another vehicle.  Owners might then be able to activate exterior cameras to remotely identify the contacting vehicle.

Some experts on electronic communication report that any information that might be produced by a vehicle and transmitted over the Internet could end up on servers where it is not intended thereby making it a potential target for governmental authorities or other people who are simply searching for information. 

For more information on electronic data recorders, see the other pages on this site.