Sorry if this has been covered before. Anybody know if Subaru installs or plans to install any EDR's (event data recorders) or "black boxes" in their newer models?

I don't know of any EDR's in current models. If it becomes part of the OBD3 standard, it probably will be incorporated....other then that, I don't know.

Subaru doesnt have them, yet. Thank goodness. There is still a question weather they will be allowed in cars as a policy. there have been some legal cases using them as evidence, which they were never meant to be. The manufacturers say they arent for that purpose and are not calibrated nor guarenteed to be acurate, but some gung ho ditrict attorneys have won cases on them. The standard for calbraion of equipment like that for legal purposes is 6 months. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Even the NHTSA have said they are not accurate enough to meet the legal definition of accuracy.

 

nipper

A prosecutor will only focus on speed, I assume. Not any relevant info from the brake or possibly steering and ESP systems.

 

On speed: As Nipper says, what about calibration? What about people fitting non-standard size tyres and causing inaccurate speed readings?

A prosecutor will only focus on speed, I assume. Not any relevant info from the brake or possibly steering and ESP systems.

 

On speed: As Nipper says, what about calibration? What about people fitting non-standard size tyres and causing inaccurate speed readings?

 

Those are some of the issues. Also they are only meant as a research tool to help car mfgs know how their cars behave in a crash, never to place fault.

 

there was a news progam (mayb Geraldo ....yuck) that showed two people that got cinvicted on the evidence of the black boxes.

One accident the speed limit was 30mph, and the guy blew the other car apart. To tear a car in two with another car you need to be going awfully fast. The driver said he was only doing 30 (thats b.s.) and was correctly found guilty. (dry weather clear night etc)

 

The other case was more troubling, as even the police testomony contradicted what the black box saw and they used the black box for the conviction.

 

I can see a few situations where you can loose traction and the spedometer will register a higher speed then the car is traveling.

 

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2087207/

 

by NY and CA law you have to be told at the time of sale the car has a black box, along with rental agreements. There is a question as to who owns that data, and that will have to go through the courts

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/02/16/DI2006021601781.html

 

http://www.injurysciences.com/Documents/NHTSA%20Issues%20Final%20Rules%20for%20Automotive%20EDRs.pdf

 

at least the NHTSA requirement has more detail involved, so that they arent relying on the spedometer alone.

 

 

if your really bored

 

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Rulemaking/Rules/Associated%20Files/EDRFinalRule_Aug2006.pdf