Black box data recorders now have to be fitted to all new vehicles models following the introduction of new European Commission rules, which state that all new cars, vans lorries and buses must have the devices to gain type approval. From July 2024 the rule will be extended to all new vehicles registered in the EU.  

The European Commission has introduced the rule so that Event Data Recorders can capture accident related information. This will include information on vehicle operations before, during and after the impact. Data recorded will include speed, application of brakes, road positioning and use of ADAS systems. 

Concerns over possible vehicle tracking data falling into the wrong hands have been overcome by employing a system that only retains data when a collision occurs. Data use will also be strictly limited to national authorities and not shared with insurers. 

The Commission says that research indicates that data recorders fitted to trucks and vans leads to a 20% reduction in crashes. The data gathered can also play significant role in identifying the causes of accidents and lead to safer road and vehicle design. However, because of data restrictions due to privacy issues, the European Transport Safety Council says currently black boxes will be of limited use. 

Frank Mütze, vehicle safety specialist at ETSC commented, “The original purpose of requiring EDRs in new vehicles was to provide a data source to help prevent future crashes.  Ruling out the retrieval of location and time information renders the device data virtually useless to road safety researchers.  We hope that this legislation can be reviewed and updated as soon as possible.”