Benefits of Black Boxes in Motor Cars

When you hear the phrase black box, you may think of an aircraft accident investigation. But the benefit of retrieving data from a flight data recorder in the Black Box is not limited to airlines. You can now find this technology in cars, where it helps to determine what happened in the critical moments before a crash. Furthermore it is also able to keep a running record of how a car is being operated, including speed, acceleration, breaking, steering and checking to see if you use your seat belt! A recent report by the BBC in the UK suggests that the installation of black boxes in the cars of young people is growing.

Originally the black box for cars was installed by car manufatcurers to monitor air bag activity. Studies have shown that drivers under the age of 25 are involved in 40% of accidents, but they make up just 10% of motorists. It appears that the black box could be a good tool to monitor and control their driving style. Also for parents, who worry that their child is driving carefully, they would derive comfort from the black box because the technology will present them with the cold hard facts about their children’s driving.

This new technology could be of interest for insurance companies, because it provides them with all necessary information about the driving styles of their customers. Theoretically, those that drive safely are less likely to have an accident and could therefore have their premiums reduced.

The black box for the car would be of special interest for car rental companies. When a car is returned back to the rental company, any disputes about vehicle damage can be easily resolved by looking at the data from the black box. The subversive practice of car rental companies charging multiple customers for the same damage will be eliminated. Driveaway Holidays receives numerous complaints from their customers

There is no question that a black box in a car will benefit car rental companies, consumers and the car insurance companies, but more importantly, it will reduce the number of accidents by improving the driving attitude of the general public