ARCHIVED - Black boxes compulsory in new cars in Spain
The devices will record data before and after road traffic accidents
Newly manufactured cars in Spain and the rest of the European Union from this year will have to be fitted with an EDR device, more commonly known as a black box, that will register vital details in the event of an accident. Several driving assistants will become mandatory as of 2022, and the European Parliament predicts that these systems could help prevent more than 25,000 deaths and 140,000 injuries from road traffic accidents over the next 18 years.
The black boxes or EDR (Event Data Recorder) will be installed under the driver’s seat and will use 15 parameters to record everything that happens before and after the unfortunate event of an accident. To ensure data protection, the device will not record audio or video of the driver or passengers.
So what does it record?
Roughly the size of a mobile phone, the black box is usually connected to the control unit of the vehicle’s airbag. The data saving mechanism will be activated during the 15 seconds immediately before a traffic accident and the five seconds after.
The parameters that will be recorded are vehicle speed, braking, engine revolutions, front and side impact force, steering movements, accelerator position, operation of safety systems such as airbags, belts or certain assistants, the time of the accident, the route, whether it was day or night.
The collected data can then be accessed by removing the black box and connecting it to a computer.
Accessing the information contained in these EDRs is complicated and specific knowledge is required to be able to access the data, which is encrypted.
How will the information be used?
For the time being, all data collected will be used anonymously, purely for statistical purposes with the intention of improving road safety. Therefore, the information gathered cannot be used to establish blame in the event of an accident, although insurance companies and the police will be entitled to access the data.
The overall hope is that black boxes will help to clarify the conditions in which a traffic accident has occurred.
Image: Archive
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
25% Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
Contact Spanish News Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268
