For years, new car owners have had their data recorded by a little black box similar to the one found in airplanes, but starting with 2011 models, automakers will be required to tell buyers of the presence of these recorders in their cars.According to CarInsurance.com, event data recorders typically erase driver[, such as their speed and whether their seatbelt is fastened, unless an accident occurs, then the data is stored for use in investigations by attorneys and car insurance representatives.
"EDRs can provide information about a crash that can't be obtained through more traditional investigation techniques," Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said in a statement. "Police, crash investigators, automakers, insurance adjusters, and highway safety researchers can use this information to analyze what occurred during a crash."
Roughly 65 to 90 percent of new cars were equipped with EDRs in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to After Market News, Mazda Motor and Bosch recently entered into a license agreement that would allow Bosch to access EDR information from the Mazda system. The partnership will allow Mazda cars to benefit from the Bosch Crash Data Retrieval tool, which is used by law enforcement, government agencies and insurance companies.
Source;
http://www.fundingway.com/news/624187/event-data-recorders-to-be-in-all-new-cars-starting-this-year/
For more info on EDR's follow the link below;
Event Data Recorders - Technical Report
What are they? Which automakers fit them? And are these devices friend or foe?
By Dennis Simanaitis @ Road & Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/auto-news/tech/event-data-recorders