‘Black box’ legislation proposed

This is a very, very important proposal which has emerged in the United States. It has enormous implications for the analysis of motor vehicle crashes. It’s long been an absurdity that a driver’s speed at the time of a crash has had to be identified by subjective eye-witness accounts (often the driver’s) and the variable estimates derived from skid marks and vehicle damage.

New cars and lorries would be required to carry black boxes to record crash information under a new series of proposals following Toyota's massive recalls.

The House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee released a preliminary set of proposals that could form the basis of legislation to strengthen vehicle safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Whether or not the powerful American car lobby allows this proposal to get anywhere is, of course, another matter.