Interesting...possible black boxes for Yanks 2014

[2011G6E]

A friend sent me a link to this news item from the USA...
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obam...s-beginning-14

Bypassing Congress, the Obama administration has issued a proposed administrative rule, which if adopted, would mandate the installation of "black boxes" in all automobiles and light trucks beginning in 2014.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed the regulation on Dec. 7, which it said “would capture valuable safety-related data in the seconds before and during a motor vehicle crash.”

The proposed standard would require automakers to install event data recorders (EDRs) – so-called “black box devices” -- to collect specific safety related data in all light passenger vehicles beginning Sept. 1, 2014.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said approximately 96 percent of model year 2013 passenger cars and light-duty vehicles are already equipped with black-box capability.

“By understanding how drivers respond in a crash and whether key safety systems operate properly, NHTSA and automakers can make our vehicles and our roadways even safer,” LaHood said in a news release. “This proposal will give us the critical insight and information we need to save more lives.”

One interesting thing I noticed is the claim that they don't collect any information on-the-go or record anything while the person is driving around, but that they operate like this: "After a crash or air bag deploys, the EDR would collects data in the seconds before and during a crash, including: vehicle speed; whether the brake was activated in the moments before a crash; crash forces at the moment of impact; information about the state of the engine throttle; air bag deployment timing and air bag readiness prior to the crash and whether the vehicle occupant’s seat belt was buckled.".

Umm...if all they are there to do is to give interesting information on what led up to a crash, then how come they only supposedly activate after "a crash or the airbag deploys"...? Isn't that too late to record anything useful? The crash has already happened at that point. That's closing the door after the horse has bolted...it's like a flight data recorder in an airliner only turning on after the plane has hit the ground.
They would simply have to record continuously so that they do indeed "know what happened leading up to an accident".


Or am I being cynical...