Revolutionizing Car Safety: The Importance and Concerns of Black Boxes in Accident Investigations

The installation of black boxes in cars produced after July 7 this year will greatly aid collision reconstruction. These black boxes, located in the airbag of the car, will record crucial data such as brake pressure, steering wheel angle, gas pedal usage, gear revolutions and the time of collision. The data recorded cannot be deactivated or installed after the fact, ensuring its accuracy.

Krunoslav Ormuž, a permanent court expert for traffic, emphasized the significance of these black boxes in determining the causes of traffic accidents. By analyzing the data collected by these black boxes, experts can understand the circumstances leading up to a collision and determine responsibility accurately.

However, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of this data and the need for clear regulations on its use. Kristijan Tićak, editor-in-chief of Auto motor i sport magazine highlighted that legal provisions must be put in place to prevent any fraudulent activity related to this data.

Before black boxes were introduced, smartphones played a vital role in investigating traffic accidents. The data provided by smartphones such as movement speed and usage at the time of accident were often used by law enforcement to determine liability.

Despite advancements in technology Ormuž clarified that black box data will not be used to monitor driver behavior but instead will focus on analyzing specific incidents to aid in accident reconstruction and determining responsibility accurately.