black box in vipers?

[jimmy6383]

I was doing some reading for my writing class and came across an article about little black boxes being put in cars. Like the airplane black box but records how fast a person is going and when brakes are applied ect. so in case of an accident blah blah...the example in the article I was reading involved a guy charged with vehicular manslaughter when the black box in his corvette reported he was going 106 and applied the brakes 2 seconds before he rear ended a lady and killed her. Seems kind of invasive to me....but just curious if any one can confirm whether Vipers have them or not?

 

[Camfab]

Yes they have them, but I thought Insurance companies still could not use that info. Think about it, On Star is probably even worse.

 

[SweetRed04]

Yes they have them, but I thought Insurance companies still could not use that info. Think about it, On Star is probably even worse.

Where did you get and are you sure about that information?

I always thought Vipers did NOT have them.

 

[propsail]

This is what I do for a living, sooo:
Any vehicle with an airbag has them. The question is, how much and what kind of information is available.To answer the question, yes, Vipers with airbags do have black boxes, however, this information is not available to anyone but Chrysler. Not insurance companies, police, investigators, etc. In fact, we don't even know what information is possible to get from them.

Chrysler vehicles have just come on board making downloads possible to the general public, including government and insurance companies. Vipers are not on the list. For a complete list of ALL vehicles: Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Vehicle List

GM vehicles give the most information: Vehicle speed from the last 5 seconds before a crash (or heavy braking above 1-2 g's); whether the driver braked, and whether or not the seatbelt was fastened. Ford tends to give the least info.
For a detailed explaination of this technology:
http://forums.viperclub.org/sneaky-petes-place/595992-vehicle-blackbox-info-long.html

~Craig

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Interesting site, GM, including Corvette has had them since 1995. Even MORE interesting ALL cars are required to have them by 2010 and they will be required to make the information available to the public, I interpret that as lawyers and police. So after 2010 any ambulance chasing attorney (my apologies in advance to my Viper brother members of the bar who may read this) can go after this data just for grins. Nice.

 

[Schulmann]

In Canada they are already using this information on some level. It is just a matter of time before attorneys get involved. Police can impound the car and make an extended investigation on the wreck.

 

[Nsane1]

Ok, since it's inevitable, how do we disable it? Might be as easy as pulling a power cord somewheres.

 

[jimmy6383]

Ok, since it's inevitable, how do we disable it? Might be as easy as pulling a power cord somewheres.

and for you ******** racers, a possible 1 pound weight reduction?

 

[propsail]

Ok, since it's inevitable, how do we disable it? Might be as easy as pulling a power cord somewheres.

If you try hard enough, anything can be disabled. The modules are fairly well hidden now, and not easy to locate (though that information is easily attainable). Unfortunately, disabling the airbag control module (aka the "black box") will also (absolutely) disable the airbags and possibly the seatbelt pretensioners.

So, the question is, would an insurance company still give benefits if you got injured in a crash where you disabled a safety feature? Beats me, kimosabi.

BTW, the current trend is that the data retrieved from the black boxes corroborates the results of a good accident reconstruction/speed estimate, not replace it....BUT, who knows, I may be looking for a new line of work in the very near future. This is VERY up and coming technology for the government and private sector.

I'll let you know after I get grilled in court about it.
~Craig

 

[2snakes4us]

remember you GPS alway records your highest speed and average speed ,but that one is easy to reset.....If you remember to. that could show you are a speeder or have speed in the past. something I'm sure they could add in a court case against you. at least against your driving style.
To some just owning a Viper makes you a speeder.