Does our TCH have an "event data recorder" and if so, where is it?


http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/21/...ule/index.html

"About 64 percent of model year 2005 cars were equipped with EDRs, according to NHTSA. Some manufacturer's already include information about the EDR in the owners manual, but not all, said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for NHTSA.

'If you have a new vehicle, chances are it's got one,' he said."

 

well, I don't know where it is, but I do know it is there. Says so right in the beginning of the owner's manual

 

Most likely it's a flash memory chip and supporting electronics imbedded in an ECM.
J

 

A person in the insurance industry told me the mfg's of several companies are now using these to fend off lawsuits, someone piles into another car this box can tell speed, time if any on brakes and a lot of other info, also very good for the insurance industry claiming driver error. Also a tracking device for law inforcement. Big brother has gotten even bigger lol.

 

I thought I rememebred reading that the black box is not admissable unless a search warrant or somthing is gotten for it, they just can't get the black box data on a whim. If they could I woudl suspect sooner or later more people will have an issue with it and the ACLU would step is and sue "Big Brother is now in your car and you didn't even know it".

 

I think they should take it one step further.
If the Joe Blow pulls out in front of me and I T-Bone him through no fault of mine, a little cash register receipt (like the self serv gas pumps have) should print out from his dash for the police and insurance company so when it shows he also wasn't wearing seatbelts when he got thrown through the side window my insurance company is off the hook.

J

 

I just noticed this in the camry manual (I'm looking at a PDF version so I don't know what page it is). I attached it to this post:

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Event Data Recorder

Your vehicle has computer that monitor and control certain aspects of your vehicle. These computer assist in driving and maintaining optimal vehicle performance. Besides storing data useful for troubleshooting, there is a system to record data in a crash or a near car crash event. This is called an Event Data Recorder (EDR).

There SRS airbag sensor assembly contains the EDR. In a crash or a near car crash even, this device may record some or all of the following information:

• Engine speed
• Whether the brake pedal was applied or not
• Vehicle speed
• To what extent the accelerator pedal was depressed
• Position of the transmission selector lever
• Whether the driver and front passenger wore the seat belts or not
• Driver's seat position
• Front passenger's occupant classification
• SRS airbag deployment data
• SRS airbag system diagnostic data

If your vehicle is equipped with a vehicle stability control (VSC) system, it's Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may contain other EDR. There are a variety of driving situations which include activating the VSC under which the VSC EDR will record certain information. The VSC EDR may record some or all of the following information:

• Behavior of the vehicle
• Steering wheel angle
• Vehicle speed
• To what extent the accelerator pedal was depressed
• To what extent the brake pedal was applied
• To what extent the ECU controlled the condition of the 4 wheels
• Vehicle stability control system diagnostic data

The information above is intended to be used for the purpose of improving vehicle safety performance. Unlike general data recorders, the EDR does not record sound data such as conversation between passengers.
------------------------------------------------


There's more info on the next page of that doc.. look it up.. kinda scary all the data it records.

 

why scary? Any more elaborate accident is investigated by cops and a lot of data is estimated from eyewitness accounts or skidmarks etc. Now there is a recorder and that should give more accurate data to improve highway safety. Also it would be easier to put blame where it belongs, so no more "it's not my fault, it's the car" excuses, when somebody plows into sidewalk or causes other major accident. Besides, you need to get involved in something major and give technician access to your car to read the data, it's not like the car will report you to authorities anytime you speed.

 

Scary in a slang sense of the amount of data recorded. I do appreciate that it is indeed recording all that. It also gives you a little insight of all the variables taken into account for the VDIM to manage the stability of the vehicle.

Next thing you know, the rear backup camera would continually record and stop 15 seconds after a rear-end collision so you can see the events leading up to and after the collision

 

Just few weeks ago they were showing on TV major pile up involving truck, bus and passenger car. It would be difficult to decide whose fault was it, except the bus had the camera recorder, which showed clearly that some moron cutoff the truck in the right lane, truck, trying to avoid him swerve and lost control colliding with the bus in the left lane and taking out passenger car in middle lane as well. As it's often the case, the ??? who started the whole accident wasn't even involved in it. Yes, sometimes I wish my car had video camera recording at all times just in case.