Auto Safety Or Auto Privacy?

Greater Use Of Black Box Recorders In Cars Raises Issues, Hackles

(AP) 

"Most people don't realize these devices are in their vehicle, that the information recorded may be used against them and there's no sort of regulation about who owns that information," he said.

North Dakota is one of 11 states considering black-box regulation this year, said Pam Greenberg, who tracks privacy issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

California has a law on the books requiring dealers and vehicle rental companies to inform drivers when a car has a black box. In New York, it is illegal for rental companies to use global positioning system technology to track drivers and use the data to charge extra fees or penalties.

Accident investigators argue that the privacy concerns are overblown.

"These guys are trying to roll back North Dakota courts to the Dark Ages," said Jim Harris, owner of Harris Technical Services, a Florida-based accident investigation company. "What are you going to do? Leave out videotapes?"