GM Black Boxes

General Motors has been the leader in putting event data recorders, or so called “black boxes,” in its passenger vehicles. These devices record a vehicle’s speed, brake systems, seat belt status, and other information in the seconds before an airbag is deployed. Since 1990, GM has been progressively increasing the amount of information that the devices store. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration published a paper analyzing GM’s event data recorders, including some great detail on the information stored in each variation of the devices and a technical explanation for how that information is recorded. Other manufacturers are following GM’s lead, so black box data can be an issue in any case involving a late model car.