Hi All, Just wondering if my 2006 Prius stores my speed and location inside its diagnostic computer. I've been reading this Britain is becoming 'Big Brother' society: report http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061102/wl_uk...tv_061102190511 Just wondering...
Some speed and other control information is stored for a short period of time. This can be accessed in the event of a crash. Tom
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Nov 2 2006, 08:55 PM) [snapback]342952[/snapback]</div> Thanks qbee42, So it is tracked. Does it keep track of location of the speed. Is there a way to erase that data
Locations are not recorded. Black boxes are now common on most, if not all, new motor vehicles. Do a Google search for: "Automobile Black Boxes." Here is an example:
In the USA, however, the black box and the information in it is the property of the vehicle owner. It can only be obtained by others by the use of a search warrant or similar legal instrument. I should also note that cell phone records have been used to see if they were being used at the time of an accident and may have been a contributory cause. (Cell phone use while driving is pretty equivalent to driving drunk). Mike
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stringmike @ Nov 2 2006, 08:39 PM) [snapback]343018[/snapback]</div> Not completely accurate. Legislation regulating the use of the EDR recordings exists in only about one quarter of the states. California was the first state to regulate the use of such data with a law that was enacted in 2004.
<_< Hello osiris12 You don't say WHERE you are or which Prius you're driving... if, indeed, you ARE driving a Prius. Knowing your location, and model of Prius are always helpful when responding to questions. Want to "erase" the data? Have you been speeding and want to get rid of the evidence?
to the best of my knowledge, the "black box" does not integrate with the nav unit. instead, it has a short term memory, which is only capable of saving data for a a few seconds, maybe a minute. The data it records, i believe, is speed, rotation of the steering wheel, pressure applied to gas and brake pedals, and probably some internal data (such as traction control or ABS activated, etc). They key point is that it's short term - no one can go to your car and tell how fast you were driving last week from the data in the "black box". and while explicit legislation hasn't been drawn up in every state, the information is erased fairly quickly unless the car senses and accident. So you don't have to worry about it having a recording of all your illegal driving habits (speeding, illegal U turns, etc)
True - legislation has been enacted in only a number of states. However, my main point was that the car and any recording devices in it are the property of the owner and proper legal procedures should be used to acquire data from it. This is true in all US States since property rights are (supposedly) guaranteed by the Constitution. There have been cases where police have obtained data without the permission from the owner, such as when a vehicle has been impounded as part of an investigation. The latest regulations are to remove any possible ambiguity on ownership of data and access by authorities to it. Mike
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stringmike @ Nov 3 2006, 03:27 PM) [snapback]343428[/snapback]</div> Thanks everyone for your insight (no pun intended). I'm not a speeder but value my privacy and this info puts my mind at ease for now. It seems that Briton is becoming a police state rather quickly. I'm sure the states will not be far behind.
I'm not familiar with the Prius nav. but my Garmin Nav units include a "trip computer" function that runs all the time. They record max. speed among many other things, and will keep that reading until you manually erase it. I use it to remind myself to drive carefully. It's amazing how fast you can go when passing someone on a busy two lane road (135 km/hr seen on the Garmin but not by me as I was concentrating on the oncoming vehicles)! Not in a Prius though.
