Diesel_Day_Dreamin
04-12-2005, 01:52 AM
Hello all,
After seeing it on the evening news, I searched this forum for an answer to the removal or erasure of the Black Box or it's data. There is a thread on this issue, but is is locked and no answer was given on what we can do about these devices.
In most cases, it would not bother me that my driving habits are being recorded. I don't want my insurance company reading my Black Box, lets say, after a day at the track where they think the truck has been driven on the road at 105 mph. My question is, can this information be cleared, or does the box have to be disabled to keep it from recording information in the first place? It looks like certain states are passing laws as to who can take the information from your box. My home state has no laws as of yet...
Read below...
N.D. Legislature OKs 'Black Box' Bill BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Insurance companies would be barred from using data from vehicles' "black boxes" to set drivers' rates, under legislation that won final approval Monday in the North Dakota Legislature.
Insurance industry groups said they believe North Dakota is the first state bar the use of the "black box" information to set rates, but said companies usually do not use it for that purpose.
The bill is aimed at computer chips that record a car's speed, braking and steering efficiency, and whether the driver was wearing a seat belt. The chips are common in newer vehicles, and typically store information that can be used to investigate an accident.
"If you were in a car accident, and if this information had been downloaded ... the insurance companies could not use this information for the purpose of rate assessment after the accident," said Rep. RaeAnn Kelsch, a Republican.
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The House approved the measure 87-3 on Monday. The Senate endorsed it last week. It now goes to Republican Gov. John Hoeven, who is expected to sign it.
North Dakota is one of at least eight states considering black-box regulation this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The North Dakota bill also requires cars and trucks, starting with the 2007 model year, to include information about the recorders in their owner's manuals, and says dealers must notify their customers about the presence of a recorder.
It allows data to be retrieved without the owner's consent for use in medical research, or for improving motor vehicle safety, if the driver's identity is not disclosed. A judge can also order disclosure of the information.
<!-- BEGIN POSITION 3 --><!-- END POSITION 3 -->"The information in the black boxes is really relative to how the vehicle performs in a crash. As far as I know, companies do not use it to set rates," said Julie Rochman, a spokeswoman for the American Insurance Association.
At least one company, Progressive Insurance, offers drivers a chance at a discount if they agree to use a chip that can be used to transmit data to the company. It can track driving frequency and speed.
"Where we think some of these laws go overboard is in restricting access to it (black box information) when you're investigating an accident," said Joseph Annotti, a spokesman for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. "It seems like a bit of waste of a technological advance that can help make streets safer and unclog the courts.
After seeing it on the evening news, I searched this forum for an answer to the removal or erasure of the Black Box or it's data. There is a thread on this issue, but is is locked and no answer was given on what we can do about these devices.
In most cases, it would not bother me that my driving habits are being recorded. I don't want my insurance company reading my Black Box, lets say, after a day at the track where they think the truck has been driven on the road at 105 mph. My question is, can this information be cleared, or does the box have to be disabled to keep it from recording information in the first place? It looks like certain states are passing laws as to who can take the information from your box. My home state has no laws as of yet...
Read below...
N.D. Legislature OKs 'Black Box' Bill BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Insurance companies would be barred from using data from vehicles' "black boxes" to set drivers' rates, under legislation that won final approval Monday in the North Dakota Legislature.
Insurance industry groups said they believe North Dakota is the first state bar the use of the "black box" information to set rates, but said companies usually do not use it for that purpose.
The bill is aimed at computer chips that record a car's speed, braking and steering efficiency, and whether the driver was wearing a seat belt. The chips are common in newer vehicles, and typically store information that can be used to investigate an accident.
"If you were in a car accident, and if this information had been downloaded ... the insurance companies could not use this information for the purpose of rate assessment after the accident," said Rep. RaeAnn Kelsch, a Republican.
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The House approved the measure 87-3 on Monday. The Senate endorsed it last week. It now goes to Republican Gov. John Hoeven, who is expected to sign it.
North Dakota is one of at least eight states considering black-box regulation this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The North Dakota bill also requires cars and trucks, starting with the 2007 model year, to include information about the recorders in their owner's manuals, and says dealers must notify their customers about the presence of a recorder.
It allows data to be retrieved without the owner's consent for use in medical research, or for improving motor vehicle safety, if the driver's identity is not disclosed. A judge can also order disclosure of the information.
<!-- BEGIN POSITION 3 --><!-- END POSITION 3 -->"The information in the black boxes is really relative to how the vehicle performs in a crash. As far as I know, companies do not use it to set rates," said Julie Rochman, a spokeswoman for the American Insurance Association.
At least one company, Progressive Insurance, offers drivers a chance at a discount if they agree to use a chip that can be used to transmit data to the company. It can track driving frequency and speed.
"Where we think some of these laws go overboard is in restricting access to it (black box information) when you're investigating an accident," said Joseph Annotti, a spokesman for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. "It seems like a bit of waste of a technological advance that can help make streets safer and unclog the courts.