All new automobiles bought in Australia may quickly report proof of their drivers breaking the regulation, because of world laws within the works to be adopted domestically.
Since July 2022, new automobiles launched in international locations that are signatories to the United Nations’ World Harmonisation of Car Laws (WHVR) – comparable to Australia – have been outfitted with ‘Occasion Knowledge Recorders’ (EDRs).
EDRs act equally to an aeroplane’s black field by recording sure driver inputs, speeds and even seat positions, storing data captured within the 5 seconds previous to a crash and 0.3 seconds after an influence.
This may enable crash investigators to find out whether or not the car concerned was at fault in a collision, or demonstrating a driver was exceeding the pace restrict within the lead as much as a crash – not solely making them extra more likely to face a tremendous, however be prone to insurance coverage being voided on account of breaking the regulation.
Whereas EDRs have been outfitted in new automobiles since as early because the late Nineties, the system can be a requirement for all new automobiles bought in WHVR-aligned international locations from July 2024 – even when they had been launched previous to the July 2022 cut-off.
However whereas Australia is a signatory to WHVR, that doesn’t essentially imply it has to implement the laws.
A spokesperson for the Division of Infrastructure and Transport instructed CarExpert the Federal Authorities is presently investigating whether or not to make the fitment of EDRs necessary in Australia, citing native privateness legal guidelines as a priority.
“It’s Australian Authorities coverage to harmonise ADRs [Australian Design Rules] with the worldwide requirements set by the United Nations to make sure automobiles with the newest security applied sciences could be equipped in Australia on the lowest worth,” mentioned a authorities spokesperson.
“Work has begun analyzing how UN Regulation 160 could be carried out in Australia. A spread of issues will have to be thought-about together with entry to, and the administration of EDR information and privateness implications of EDRs throughout the context of Australia’s privateness legal guidelines.
“Any resolution to manage EDRs in Australia would comply with the Australian Authorities’s customary coverage on creating regulation, which incorporates contemplating totally different coverage choices, how these choices influence the general public and companies together with prices and advantages, and the outcomes of public session.”
It’s value noting that whereas EDRs report information, they differ from the ‘black field insurance coverage’ – or telematics – gadgets supplied to UK motorists, which actively ship information again to an insurance coverage firm, affecting a driver’s premiums primarily based on their driving habits.
