Our friends in Northern Ireland’s Right to Ride have just published a very interesting post on “Event Data Recorders” or EDR’s. This is basically a “black box” type data recorder fitted to vehicles including motorcycles to monitor various parameters such as speed, acceleration and so on.
As reported by Right to Ride, a study has just been published which looks at the contribution that EDRs could make to EU road safety policy.
As you might expect, Right to Ride look at some of the possible implications for riders and their article highlights that the data reported for motorcycle accidents is now some five years out of date.
There are a number of concerns around this technology including the nature and scope of the data collected by EDR’s, how long it might be stored for, who has access to it and who has ownership of it. These questions are particularly thorny given the revelations of mass state surveillance recently exposed by Edward Snowden and others.
Cockpit Voice Recorder
EDR’s can take many forms, from simple systems like those used in ABS controllers and vehicle air bags to highly complex devices akin to flight data recorders used on aircraft.
Right to Ride have produced a thoroughly informative and accessible piece which introduces EDR’s and sets out the context in which they are being considered. They go on to say:
The priorities that affect motorcycling from the European Union bodies, appear to focus on new technologies and their adaption to motorcycling.
We couldn’t agree more. Read the article in full on the Right to Ride web site at the following link:
http://www.righttoride.eu/2014/10/29/event-data-recorder-devices/