Does anyone know if the S2000 has the "black box" chip that is capturing information about the speeds you've attained?

see related article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/national...IvL19T7+ugX78Zg

Personally, this is not information I would like to share with anyone - though a lot of people seem to do so on this site.

 

Got to register and log in to read

Can anyone copy and paste?

 

States Focus on 'Black Boxes' in Vehicles
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 27, 2005


ISMARCK, N.D., March 26 (AP) - When Raymon Holmberg bought a new sedan, the dealer did not mention the "black box," a computer chip that stores information on speed and seat belt use.

"When I bought my car," Mr. Holmberg said, "I didn't realize I was also buying a highway patrolman to sit in the back seat."

Mr. Holmberg, a state senator, believes his privacy was violated and is taking aim at black boxes. Lawmakers in seven other states are also hoping to regulate black boxes, the National Conference of State Legislatures said.

Mr. Holmberg is sponsoring a state bill, which is up for Senate consideration after being approved Wednesday by the House, that would require buyers to be told if their new car or truck is equipped with a black box. It would also prohibit the data from being used in court unless there is a court order. The measure would not apply to subscription services like OnStar, which can be used to track a vehicle's movements.

The most vocal critics of the bill are auto manufacturers. Thomas Kelsch, an industry lobbyist, said it made no sense to bar information from the chip from being used in court.

"What's the societal good that would result from the suppression of valuable crash data?" Mr. Kelsch asked.

But Mr. Holmberg, a Republican from Grand Forks, said he was worried that the data could be used to track driving habits or be used against a driver involved in an accident.

"Most people don't realize these devices are in their vehicle, that the information recorded may be used against them and there's no sort of regulation about who owns that information," Mr. Holmberg said.

Connecticut, New York and New Jersey are among the other states considering bills on black boxes this year.

California has a law requiring dealers and vehicle rental companies to inform drivers when a car has a black box. In New York, it is illegal for rental companies to use Global Positioning System technology to track drivers and use the data to charge extra fees or penalties.

Accident investigators argue that the privacy concerns are overblown.

"These guys are trying to roll back North Dakota courts to the Dark Ages," said Jim Harris, owner of Harris Technical Services, an accident investigation company based in Florida. "What are you going to do? Leave out videotapes?"

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 15 percent of vehicles - or about 30 million cars and trucks - have black boxes. About 65 percent to 90 percent of 2004 models have them.

W. R. "Rusty" Haight, director of the Collision Safety Institute, which researches crashes and trains accident investigators, said black boxes were introduced in cars along with air bags in the 1970's.

Capt. Mark Bethke of the North Dakota Highway Patrol said crash investigators must have a warrant to gain access to information from a data recorder. Captain Bethke said the patrol collected such information less than once a month and had never used it in court.

John Buchanan, an accident reconstruction expert in Miami, said investigators must compare data from the recorder with physical evidence at an accident scene.

"I'm a big believer in the box," Mr. Buchanan said. "But you cannot just take a box, read what it says and say that's what happened."

 

Thanks for copy and paste. 98% of the time I dont have the driving habits that would get me in trouble. I still dont like the idea of a data recorder being in the car I drive. Where I go and how I drive while out of view of others is my buisness, no one elses. Technology is getting a little too invasive in my opinion.

 

Unrelated (sort of) but if you ever want to read a NY times article, washington post article etc and don't feel like registering, use bugmenot, it's a plugin for the firefox web browser. You go to the site, right click on the login box and it puts the information in for you.
http://www.bugmenot.com/index.php

Enjoy!

 

I think we can prevent this from becoming mainstream if we voice our opposition and vow to only buy cars without it. It's also important that politicians know they will loose votes if they try to legislate these into our cars.

 

Thanks for the tip

 

My concern is..."Who is entitled to this information???" The article states, "What's the societal good that would result from the suppression of valuable crash data?" Mr. Kelsch asked. Well...Mr. Kelsch, "Will the "DATA" only be used for crash investigation?" I mean...can Honda access this "DATA" whenever I take my car in for service?

I can see it now...(Honda Rep) "Well Suprfunguy, I accessed your car's "Black Box" and noticed you either track your car or drive consistently over 100 mph for extended lengths of time every weekend. Since you seem to abuse your car...your warranty is DENIED." "We also noticed that you consistently pick up female passengers...drive with them for extended periods of time...and fog up your windows on a repeated basis...this is not Honda's intended use for your vehicle...you will need to grow up!"


BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING...

 

Also, if we have the right not to incriminate ourselves with testimony, that seems like reason enough not to have a black box made for incriminating...