New Bill Would Mandate Event Data Recorders

Dear NMA Member,

In the Mar/Apr issue of Driving Freedoms, we noted that there would be upcoming developments regarding the installation of Event Data Recorders (EDRs or black boxes) in North American vehicles. NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the insurance industry have been pushing for a mandate to add EDRs to all vehicles, as opposed to the current voluntary compliance by car and light truck manufacturers.

A new bill, as yet unnumbered but titled, "The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010", would require (among other things) EDRs in all vehicles. The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold an initial hearing on the bill on Thursday May 6th in Washington, D.C.

Among the many problems with such a bill, NHTSA had taken a weak stance on who owns the data collected by EDRs. The agency gives some lip service to getting the vehicle owner's consent before accessing the EDR information, but stops miles short of being definitive. Only twelve states currently have laws that address the ownership and use of black box data. Passing a law such as The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 without proper national legislation in place to control the contents of EDRs is irresponsible and dangerous to motorists.

Contact your representative in Congress and, in particular, let every member of the Energy and Commerce Committee know that you are opposed to The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010, especially with the mandate of EDRs in all vehicles without corresponding protection for vehicle owners as to the use of such data. Here is a link to a discussion draft of the proposed bill.

Thank you.

Gary Biller
National Motorists Association