Black Boxes in the private sector?

[smokeater-n-hellraiser]

http://www.firehouse.com/news/2001/8...earnhardt.html

I just read this article on them putting black boxes into NASCAR. I wish they would put them into private vehicles. This way, we could possibly find out what went wrong, why crashes occured. I'm not saying put a voice recorder, but a device measuring forces, speeds, and steering inputs would be good. I advocate anything that may save even a single life. What do you think?

[Dalmatian90]

Buy a GM product since, oh, 1999...

Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and diagnostic module, which records information about the air bag system. The module records information about the readiness of the system, when the system commands air bag inflation and driver's safety belt usage at deployment. Some modules also record speed, engine rpm, brake and throttle data.
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/...straints2.html

[Hosekey21]

You would think that since more people are killed or seariously injured in automoble accidents than in airplanes, that it would be a given. Who would be against it that wouldn't be against them in airplanes? My wifes car is a 2000 Monte Carlo SS. I'm all for the data recorders.

[nonameFF]

If you ask, the manufacturers and police would rather you didn't disconnect the battery on newer cars since it will cause the car's "black box" to lose its memory.