‘Black Box’ in cars would make drivers behave

DEATHS and injuries from car crashes are a cause of grave concern, and so they should be. But the Road Safety Authority (RSA) prevents any progress in innovative and effective action by limiting campaigning to seat belts, speed limits and alcohol — uncontroversial measures which are already in place — and, in the case of cyclists and pedestrians, blaming the victim.

The event data recorder, commonly know as the ‘Black Box’, is being increasingly used by police forces and fleet and public transport operators in the US and elsewhere.

Their compulsory installation in all vehicles in Ireland would save lives, protect the innocent and make the prosecution of the guilty easier, providing reliable data about exactly what happened in a crash by recording speed, acceleration, braking, etc. By linking to GPS, the exact position of the vehicle could also be determined. The Black Box can also be used automatically to alert emergency services. Frequently, there are no witnesses, or no reliable witnesses, to a crash. Knowing they will not be able to escape prosecution easily by lying will ensure that motorists drive more carefully. Incidentally, I wonder if it had occurred to the authorities, when they changed speed limits from mph to km/h that speedometers are graduated in mph; the km/h numbers are very small and difficult to see — impossible for anyone long-sighted, which is almost everyone over 50.