A new survey has found that motorists are very concerned about proposed “black box” technology being made compulsory on new cars in the EU, with a big majority coming out against the plans.

Black boxes capable of monitoring driver behaviour could be introduced as part of draft legislation for the eCall system, which is designed to automatically alert emergency services in the event of an accident. However, there is great unease with motorists who fear the devices may also be used to gather data on their movements, speed and driving habits. 

The draft legislation proposes that all new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles must be fitted with the eCall system as mandatory in Europe from October 2015. European Commission spokeswoman for transport Helen Kearns has attempted to dispel concerns that this system will become “a spy in the cab”. She says, “eCall is not a black box, rather a device fitted with a dormant SIM-card that is only activated in the case of a serious accident. It doesn’t constantly record a vehicle’s position.”

However, some media reports, especially in the UK, have drawn a link between the eCall introduction and growing moves by insurance companies to encourage drivers to adopt policies based on telematics monitoring, with an implication that insurers will eventually insist on the technology.

Suspicion of the technology is highlighted by a recent Motorpoint survey which found 71.5% of 2000 respondents expressed their opposition to the regulations scheduled to take effect in October 2015.

There appears to be a considerable confusion over the motives of the EC’s introduction of eCall, which are generally misplaced. However, the European Commission proposals will allow vehicle owners to opt for a third-party system rather than the standard eCall unit, which could be a system that functions in tandem with telematics services offered by third-party providers. These will be legal as long as the eCall function is automatically triggered in the event of an accident. The system could only include telematics tracking with the vehicle owner’s written consent, but the fear is that once the technology becomes accepted, insurers will pressurise motorist to adopt their own telematics systems.