03-05-2010, 01:46 PM
The AP asked questions and didn't get very good answers, but that's not speculative or unsubstantiated news. Maybe they should only report on something when there's a smoking gun?
Like the article said, today's EDR boxes aren't going to help reconstruct crashes. One day they probably will. The challenge with all of this is in how far you take it.
Let's say the EDR records the full drive cycle from ignitiion-on to crash and includes all of that data. Does a strong accelerator pedal angle mean someone is pressing on it, or a floor mat? Brakes not applied? Does that mean the driver meant to go fast, or that they were scared outta their wits because the car was out of control? And what about when a survivor emphatically disputes all the new data? They're lying, or the data still isn't capturing the true event sequence?
A company statement said Thursday that the devices record data from five seconds before until two seconds after an air bag is deployed in a crash.
Like the article said, today's EDR boxes aren't going to help reconstruct crashes. One day they probably will. The challenge with all of this is in how far you take it.
Let's say the EDR records the full drive cycle from ignitiion-on to crash and includes all of that data. Does a strong accelerator pedal angle mean someone is pressing on it, or a floor mat? Brakes not applied? Does that mean the driver meant to go fast, or that they were scared outta their wits because the car was out of control? And what about when a survivor emphatically disputes all the new data? They're lying, or the data still isn't capturing the true event sequence?