jkaram7

I was reading this article on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/21/...ule/index.html on Event Data Recorders used for recording events before a crash. It said only 65 percent of car makers use these devices. It did not specify, so does anybody know at clublexus?

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Yes they do. It's in your owner's manual.

ZD-Lexus

I wonder if EDR's are taken into consideration when applying for insurance. In my opinion I think the insurance company should provide incentive to the insured when the car has EDR. The way I see it, the insurance company doesn't have to worry as far taking the driver's 'word' about an incident when all that they need to do is access the EDR's info at the time of the accident. Making the car more reliable when dealing with a claim when eye-witness accounts are contradicting.

ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

i think one insurance company gave a discount to people willing to sign up for some monitoring thing. it might have been like real time monitoring tho... kinda like how some of those big rigs have that white dome on their cab and it transmits info to their headquarters and lets em know how fast he's going and where n all sorts of info.

SolaraToIS

Some are calling it invasion of privacy.
I call it accountability.

ZD-Lexus

I probably would never sign up for that, even if insurance were offered free of charge. Takes away the fun of driving knowing big brother is always watching me.

menech

if they did that on my car they would never offer me insurance based on how I drive lol....I averaged over 100mph according to the computer display this weekend on way back from the city following a M5...

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

This is nothing.

Click here first.

Then click here.

I got wind of this from a friend at Toyota involved in government compliance programs. The DOT has been working on this for a very long time. While they are quick to say there will be no personally identifiable data in the system, you can BET Homeland Security will have the ability to monitor anyone they see fit. Then it's just a quick step to realizing they can sell the data to marketers who iwill use your driving habits to target advertising to you. It's the big brother trend just continuing to move forward.

My favorite part is, there will be this gargantuan database storing the tracking data from this thing. Anybody who thinks it can't/won't be hacked is kidding himself.

Kermee

iTrader: (1)

For reference, the 1IS (e.g. IS300) never had EDRs installed by Lexus. 2005 GX470's didn't have EDRs either but all the other Lexus models do.

Cheers,
Kermee

james6290

so if i were to crash going say 100MPH in a 65 zone, then the insurance company would not have to pay, because i was breaking the law, is that what this is all about?

Kermee

iTrader: (1)

Basically in raw form, yes.

The role of the EDRs is to help accident/incident investigators/detectives on figuring out what happened with the peripheral duty of gathering data during accidents to give to car manufacturers on how to make the cars "safer".

They will basically usually use the data to help corroborate existing physical evidence. It can either be helpful to you (e.g. other party claims you were going 100 MPH when in fact you weren't) or against you (e.g. you actually were going 100 MPH).

Cheers,
Kermee

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

A drunken idiot in Florida was sentenced for manslaughter when his EDR indicated he was going 114+ mph in a 35 mph zone. He hit a teenaged girl backing out of the driveway and killed her instantly. It's got its uses for sure, and the EDR only corroborated what the investigators determined. There are still potential problems with EDR data from a legal perspective, but over time the devices will get better and the courts will have fewer exceptions to allowing EDR data.

HaveBlue

Though you are not obligated to testify against yourself in court, maybe your car will.

cmusic

What also worries me is the tracking system in the NAV. A cousin of mine that is a leadfoot was traveling on vacation down an interstate in his GMC Denali a few years ago. He was traveling approximately 85-90 mph, slightly faster than the traffic flow. On-Star called him asking if there was an emergency and they had been tracking him while he was driving fast.

Next time when renting a car with a NAV unit installed, check the fine print of the contract. I have seen reports of some companies adding fees due to speeding. They get the data from the onboard NAV unit.

In 1996 I was at my local Chevy dealer when a customer that had been test driving a new Impalla came back. He complained of the engine missing. As he was dealing with the salesman a mechanic attached their scanner to the Impalla. The mechanic told the manager the customer had been driving 115 mph when a spark plug wire came loose. The customer was promply esorted out of the dealership.

Its just a matter of time until insurance agencies can legally obtain your up to the second driving information.

15951

We should all have major issues with electronic devices being cavorted as infallable prosecutors. Those of you who think you're fine because you have nothing to hide, should read a few books. It's not about you being a model citizen, it's about the degradation of basic freedoms.

Witness the OnStar story in a previous post. If that didn't creep you out, IT SHOULD.