Did you even know that your car had a black box in it?? Well, it does, and we thought we’d share all the dets on it and how it may prevent accidents.
When you hear the term black box, don’t you think of the device in an airplane that records the information leading up to an accident? Yes?! Same here!
Apparently, since 2013 most cars have this feature too. If it helps with airplane accidents it could definitely assist with car accidents as well. Check out everything nobody told you about your car’s black box.
1 | Difference between car and airplane black boxes
The major difference between an airplane and car black box is that your car black box can only capture the few seconds before an accident occurs rather than continuously recording conversations, sounds and personal information.
2 | A black box aka “event data recorder”
Black boxes track the following should your car get into an accident:
- The speed traveling.
- If brakes were applied.
- If seat belts were worn.
- If airbags deployed.
3 | Settling accident disputes
It makes sense that black boxes can be used to help settle accident disputes, and potentially make driving safer. However, it could be seen as an invasion of the driver’s privacy – especially since not many people know they exist. The good news is, according to Lewis Smith, a spokesperson for the Canada Safety Council, black box data is only available to, “third parties, such as insurance companies, only if the vehicle owner agrees to it or the courts issue a subpoena.”
Life Lesson # 4
Don’t cancel your policy before it comes up for renewal, as there is often a penalty associated with this:
The cancellation penalty will depend on how many months are left on your policy when you cancel it. Basically, the more time remaining, the higher the penalty, and that’s no fun.
What do you think? Should it be a mandatory requirement that all cars must have a black box?
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