Read this article and tell me if you are still pissed. You don't seem to know the full story behind these boxes.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/22/...rns/index.html

I hate how the government is constantly in our lives but the information gathered by these black boxes, EDRs, can be very helpful. They only record the information moments before an accident. Manufacturers started using them to monitor safety equipment such as airbags and seatbelt pretensioners during an accident so they can constantly make improvements. In some cases the data retrieved from these black boxes can clear a person of guilt or help prove who was wrong in an accident. I've read of multiple cases where this occured so the data has a purpose.

Hey xxkazp3rxx here's the part about who can access the data.

Who can gain access to this data?

From a technical standpoint, law enforcement and professional investigators can download data from Ford and General Motors vehicles, said Hasseeb Ghumman, an accident reconstruction engineer with Accident Reconstruction Plus, a company based in New York and Georgia.

Systems used by other manufacturers, such as Toyota, can only be accessed by the manufacturer, he said.

From the legal standpoint, several states have laws saying that a car's owner or lessee (the "owner" of a leased car) owns the data contained in the car's EDR.

Ford, GM and Toyota say that they have always treated the data as the car owner's property and that they would never download data from an individual's car without their permission or a court order requiring them to do so.

But the carmakers' policy on the issue wouldn't stop police who may have their own devices to extract the data. That's why those state laws are still important.


Mind you I'm none to thrilled about the possibilty of the government being able to gain more long term info so I'm hoping people will fight to prevent this. As the system stands it works well most of the time and will get better as the manufacturers make everything uniform.

 

I have been in 2 accidents (passenger both times) in speeds between 45-60 mph. 1. we were rearended at a deadstop. 2. car changed lanes on highway and came into our lane and we lost control and spun. Both times everyone walked away unharmed and both times cars had only modest damage. There is no way they were only doing 50 mph, I don't care if they were spinning or not. If they were spinning they would most likely bounce off an object not be cut into 2 pieces. Just like if you spin a quarter into your finger, what happens? It bounces off, it doesn't stop right at your finger.
Simple physics.

 

OK well we don't have access to accident investigators, and I don't think anyone here is a physicist... sooo lets just say that:

Street racing is bad (not that they were racing), that everyone should wear their seatbelts, and that we should all remember that while we are being stupid arguing over all this stuff, the families of these guys who got in the accident are going through an extremely difficult time. The real issues will be dealt with by the proper authorities.

 

Yeah I live not to far form the accident, a couple of miles from there, I wouldn't ever race on that road... for any reason.

 

i went to byron dragway last saturday and a cobra HEAVILY modified ran 11 sec and trapped 128 mph and right after the he passed the line he blew his front tire and spun and hit the wal very bad and totalled the car.. but at least that race was organized and right away ambulance went there and got the driver and out and secured everyting and cobra was complete mess.. dumb camaro driver ****ed everything upp.. passenger died and drivers were ok.. sad.. next time i street race, i will think twice..

 

I have one rule since a del-sol almost sideswiped me in a curve. Never race people younger than me. I held the curve perfectly, but the del sol started to run wide almost in to me, and no, the del sol had to have better handling than my old Peugeot 405 (non MI16). The thing (most) young people lack is the driver’s mod... Know where, when and most importantly how to deal with a high rate of speed.

 

A couple of things. When you were rear ended was it dead on or off set? An off set collision is far worse then if you were hit dead on because the car is unable to absorb the full impact. That's what happens when a car slides sideways into a object, like a light poll, that doesn't give. The whole car can't absorb the impact so it folds around the poll. When a car is slammed on the side your head no longer has the protection of the head rest. Not that they really afford much protection in the older Mustangs. The person on the side of the impact runs the risk of slamming their head into the glass and into what ever object the car hit. Your quarter comparison doesn't help because you can drop a one off the roof of a building and it will still just bounce and have little to no damage. I can also dent a car quite easily with my bare hands. Try bending a quarter in half.

 

Also, spinning has a lot more force then sliding... when your spinning your being WHIPPED around... you get thrown into it with more force. Mustangs are unibody cars.. they do have good side impact and front impact crash test ratings... but you swing into something in the middle and it'll bend, and break. Not like our cars are lead sleds, they're heavier then a Corvette but a lot of it is still fiberglass, and all that stuff...

oh, and thanks for the "black box" read...

 

Your welcome. Happy to share the info with you. I remember a case in which a guy hit a police car, lights and sirens on, as it was going through the intersection. He claimed he tried to stop. The black box showed that he never braked and that he actually sped up. And in regards to collisions some people don't realize that there is more then one impact. There's the car hitting an object, your head hitting the airbag, window or head rest then your brain being slammed as your body comes to an abrupt stop.

 

I would have to disagree, if the SS was going over a 100mph, lost control and hit the mustang. I am pretty sure it would have a hell of a lot more damage than was visible in the picture. The SS had a damage IMO consistent with a collosion ~45 to 60 mph. If the mustang was in a spin and a concrete pole at ~ 45 mph then the inertia of the spin and the inertia of the speed of the car could easily rip that car in 2. There are 2 forces to consider the speed, and the inertia of the spin. The mustang looks bad but i believe it was a freak accident. xxkazp3rxx i am gonna have to agree with u. Besides look at the position of that camaro, if the mustang hit a pole= instantaneous stop wouldnt the camaro (running 100 mph plus) be a little further down the road? Just my opinion.