U.S. Transportation Department Proposes Black Boxes in All Cars

Devices that record crash-related data would be required in all new cars and light trucks under a U.S. Department of Transportation proposal made on Friday to broaden their growing use in the United States. The proposed rule, which may stir consumer privacy concerns, would require automakers to put “event data recorders” in light passenger vehicles weighing less than 8,500 pounds, effective Sept. 1, 2014. The so-called black boxes would track vehicle speed, brake activation if any, forces at impact and whether a seat belt was buckled, among other crash-related information in the seconds up to and during a collision.