By Chris King • Published: 27 Oct 2021 • 4:41
DGT to make black boxes mandatory in vehicles. image: wikimedia
Under instruction from the European Commission in Brussels, black boxes will be fitted in vehicles throughout Europe in 2022. In Spain, this task will be overseen by the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT), as part of its endeavour to combine the latest technology to enhance road safety on Spanish roads.
This regulation will come into force alongside the anti-start breathalyser devices that cars will need to have installed by July 6, 2022. This law, along with the black box, or ‘data recorder’, are both subject to approval yet, but as a specific date is being given then it is clearly a foregone conclusion. By 2024 the devices will reportedly both be mandatory on all new models that come out of dealerships.
These black boxes, doing a similar job to flight recorders in aircraft, will be located underneath the driver’s seat, bolted to the chassis. It will record all the significant data that can be used at a later date in the event of an accident. Information will constantly be recorded then erased, although the device will not record any video or audio. The origin of the data will remain anonymous.
When a traffic accident occurs, the device will save the information generated during the previous 30 seconds and the following five seconds. This data can then be used to analyse what occurred.
In accordance with an EU regulation published in 2019, the black box will be activated only in serious crashes, in the same way as the airbag operates. The vehicle’s speed, steering movements, the final position of the accelerator pedal, the deceleration, the operation of seatbelts, and the angle of movement in the event of the vehicle turning over, will all be recorded.
After an accident, an investigator will only have to connect the black box to a computer to download the relevant data. This can be used to solve help the authorities understand more about traffic accidents, and improve road safety, without involving the driver’s identity.
In its regulations, Brussels indicates that these devices must record and store “anonymized data”, so that the Member States can use them “to carry out road safety analyses, and evaluate the effectiveness of specific measures that have been adopted, without the possibility of identifying the owner, or the owner of a specific vehicle”.
Like everything else included in the regulation, the installation of this device establishes the homologation requirements of 2022. It is aligned with the Vision Zero plan, with which the EU intends to end deaths and serious injuries due to traffic accidents by 2050.
The imposition of driver assistance systems as mandatory equipment will prevent 25,000 road deaths and 140,000 serious injuries in the next 15 years, according to estimations by the EU. They point out from the EU that the registration of information on road accidents, “constitutes a valuable step to obtaining more precise and comprehensive data on accidents”, as reported by motor.elpais.com.
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Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
Big broter is watching!!! It is time for a revolution. The Goverment treats the Public like slaves.
Just one more thought, how about stop producing Cars, Plastic and Food and we will have everybody healthy and Fit!!!!!
A more imminent issue that affects many expat UK drivers on Monday 1st November who hadn’t elected to exchange their UK licence for a Spanish one (and also the many who had and have still not received their Spanish Licence from the DGT). Is there any news on this issue as the many drivers with only UK licences at present will be driving illegally from 1st November and who may not be aware of this and it’s implications! Can Euro Weekly investigate this crucial matter and find out if there is any ‘real news’ to report please? Many thanks Robert
Dear Rob, we think that the black box information is real news but we are on top of ever changing stories and if you follow this link you will see that Euro Weekly News reported earlier today that the UK driving licence may be used until the end of the year. https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/10/27/spain-extends-uk-driving-licence-until-december-31/
More big brother tactics. It means they will know everywhere you go and how fast you drive. I think I will take to an (unchipped) horse lol
“It means they will know everywhere you go….” LMAO! You think they don’t that now?? Better get rid of your mobile phone, FB account and ‘Alexa’ if you don’t want that!
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