WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall today introduced legislation to improve vehicle safety by requiring Event Data Recorders (EDRs) to be installed in most vehicles. EDRs record vehicle statistics for the several seconds before and immediately after a crash that provide valuable information for diagnosing vehicle malfunctions.
The Vehicle Event History Information Capturing Leads to Engineering (VEHICLE) Safety Improvements Act of 2010 requires that EDRs be installed in all light duty vehicles, 8,500 lbs or less for sale in the U.S. within 3 years of enactment and in all medium and heavy duty vehicles above 8,500 lbs within 7 years of enactment. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 80 percent of all light duty vehicles are already equipped with an EDR.
"Event data recorders will not prevent crashes. But they will help to determine what caused the crash and, in the case of a vehicle malfunction, help to identify solutions to improve vehicle performance. In the end, the data they provide will serve to ensure a safer travel environment for all," Udall, member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee said.
Event Data Recorders are designed to record specific information including seatbelt use, throttle position, brake position, speed at beginning of event and the time of the event. It will not record conversations or vehicle location.
The recent Senate Commerce Committee hearings on the Toyota recall drew attention to event data recorders in personal vehicles. In the hearings, it was discovered that although many of the Toyotas recalled had EDRs in them that may have provided valuable post crash information for diagnosing malfunctions, they were not able to be read as there was only one reader in the United States. At this time, the tools used to read the EDRs are not universal and NHTSA reports that their engineers "carry a suitcase" of readers to be sure they can read the various types that are installed.
The VEHICLE Safety Improvements Act of 2010 requires that all EDRs be compatible with a commercially available universal reader to ensure prompt diagnosis of vehicle safety problems.
"The information stored by an EDR can be crucial in determining what happened during the course of the last few seconds prior to a crash and the moments immediately after," Udall said. "If a vehicle doesn't have a recorder or if the data is not easily accessible, this information can be lost. And that leaves local and federal investigators little to work with as they try to determine whether or not a vehicle malfunction was to blame."
The VEHICLE Safety Improvements Act of 2010 is supported by General Motors.
"Broad EDR application and collection of data will help save lives and prevent injuries," said Michael J. Robinson, Vice President, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy at General Motors.
To view, General Motor's endorsement of the bill, click here .
