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Black Boxes, or Big Brother?

Washington DC June 3, 2005; The AIADA newsletter reported that vehicle “black boxes” are receiving support from a growing number of highway traffic safety advocates, but awareness of the high-tech recording devices is slow to reach members of the general public, according to a report in USA Today.

As part of a USA Today roundtable discussion on the risks of teenage driving, black boxes were cited as devices helpful to parents who wish to track a young driver’s performance in the car. At a cost of $280, black boxes are intended to be used primarily to monitor and train emergency-vehicle operators. With roughly 10 teens dying every day in the U.S. in crashes involving teen drivers, safety officials are increasingly looking to the boxes as helpful tools for concerned parents. Besides lack of awareness, one obstacle brought up during the roundtable was the issue of trust. "We had this debate in my own household," said Jeffrey Runge, who heads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”

According to USA Today, “When Runge brought home the device to put in the car their teenage son drives, his wife resisted. "She said, ’Well, that really doesn’t demonstrate very much trust.’ I didn’t win the argument."” Despite the familial dispute, Runge said black boxes are useful for both teaching and monitoring. More on the device: “The black box is easily installed in cars made after 1995, has a memory card like a digital camera’s that can be removed and plugged into a home computer. The parent can then download a detailed report -- from seat-belt use to how fast the car traveled to the use of signals. The device also growls at the driver when he or she exceeds safety thresholds while braking or turning.”