JOIN USNow, cars in India to have black boxes
For, the Union government intends to adopt a recommendation of a roads safety experts’ committee which has suggested that automobiles —new and old — must install a “black box”, otherwise known as electronic flight data recorders.
The device will be similar to those that aircraft carry to record data on how the plan cruises and cockpit conversations. In the West, where black boxes are already operational, the gadget is fitted behind the dashboard or under the floor and connected to sensors that monitor the car’s movements including speed or the inflation of the airbag. In New York, for instance, the yellow taxis use windshield-mounted cameras to record data on vehicle use, road accidents and other information.
The recommendation by the committee, constituted by the Ministry of road Transport and Highways, was made following the increasing road accidents, primarily because of rash and negligent driving, in Delhi.
Road safety
The panel, set up to explore ways and means to adopt better road safety methods so that human fatalities are reduced, recently submitted its report to the ministry which will examine the recommendations before incorporating them in its proposed amendment to the Indian Motor Vehicle Act.
“Though the Ministry is not keen to go head with immediate installation of black boxes in vehicles, it will explore the feasibility of using such devices in automobiles to cut down on accidents”, a senior Ministry official told Deccan Herald here on Wednesday.
“Installing and studying these devices will entail financial considerations. We will also seek the Law Ministry’s opinion whether analysis of data from the devices will be admissible as evidence in a court in the event of an accident”, the official pointed out.
Tamper-proof
The information recorded and stored in the black boxes, which would be tamper-proof, could be used by police and insurance firms to reconstruct crashes and determine who was at fault. It could then be used in court cases, a committee member said.
“Psychologically, the gadget may have a positive impact on drivers who will then be more cautious and sensitive to traffic regulations. It will not be easy for them to offer lame excuses if they cause accidents or their vehicles are damaged in a crash caused by another car,” the official said.
The European Commission is already pushing for mandatory installation of black boxes in cars to reduce road accidents. It recommended that the devices can record 20 types of data, including speed, whether the driver applied brakes and the car’s most recent movements which are crucial to determining the cause of the accident.
In the West, such devices (costing the equivalent of about Rs 35,000) are already available.