Does the data in your MINI's Black Box belong to you as the owner of your MINI?

What happens if you're involved in an accident and the other insurance company wants the data? What if you are stopped by a Police Officer and he/she wants to plug into your Black Box and download the data? Or if the governmet wants to download it?

Or even the MINI dealership wants to download the data?

Or what about Kobby Bryant's lawyer, does he (he seems to be looking everywhere for evidence)have the right to your data? (Ok, I'm not really serious about Kobby's lawyer!)

Who owns and more importantly who controls the data in your MINI's Black Box?


check out this article:

http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorD....html?tag=adts

 

^^^^it's not like your flying a jumbo jet

 

Who's Kobby? Is that a nickname and I just don't get it. Sorry you're so paranoid, just Motor happily and don't worry bout it.

 

Paranoid.....why do you want to know?

No, but I do want to know about my rights AND responsibilites. And even if I have nothing that I want to hide......how much do I HAVE to share?

 

>>Paranoid.....why do you want to know?
>>

 

Sheesh, You say Kobe, I say Kobby.

Black box technology is a definite boon to the insurance and law enforcement interests, and a potential bane to vehicle owners and users. Still it is a knife that cuts both ways:

1)

"Honestly, Officer I wasn't doing over thirty when the deer ran out in front of me."

"But the OBD indicates you were doing 73 five seconds prior to impact. I'll cite you for wreckless operation, and your insurance company will be notified."

2)

Let's say that you were in the right when the teenaged kid plowed into your MINI, its would be kind of nice to be able to prove to the kid's insurance company that you were not contributorily negligent in the wreck. Might make settling or even litigation much cleaner and improve your chances if becoming a member of the millionaire's club.

As a Libertarian I do not like the unnecessary intrusion into my private life; as a potential victim of a wreckless driver, I like having the security of not having to prove that I wasn't in the wrong as well.

 

Mini's have a black box? I thought only GM was doing that..... where is it located? Can it be yanked out or reset?

 

It is very good for the techs to check operating history
After getting home after motoring through a snow storm,plowing through drifts
My check engine light came on as I pulled in my drive way.Turned off the MINI
waited a moment,turned it back on and off three times,fixed.
Later that week I was a dealer for something else,told the tech,so he hooked up the black
box,told us air intake had been restricted,snow must have plugged it up,Melted when I stopped.Nice to know that was all it was.

 

Is someone planning to use their mini as a weapon?


and get away with it?

 

There is a good deal of paranoia here, but there is concern for the future. Insurance claims could be denied very easily if you were...say...speeding.

 

>>There is a good deal of paranoia here, but there is concern for the future. Insurance claims could be denied very easily if you were...say...speeding.


Maybe..but, even the safest drivers are humans and could make a mistake
of speeding over the speed limit while in a new town. That's why you get
so many tries before your license is suspended. I think your premium/
deductible could change case-by-case, but complete denial of claims is
most likely not going to happen. well, this is just my opinion. :smile:

 

I had taken my car in for service and the service guy at BMW (not the tech, the counter dude) couldn't find my car on the computer so he asked for my key. I said what for and he said "watch" and he put it in this key slot attached to the computer. It read my key and showed my serial number, mileage, and next service.

"Wow", I said, "that's neat!"

My my tech came around the corner, and I jokingly said "good thing it can't tell my average speed!"

Well, he proceeded to tell me that he COULD find out my travelling speeds, whether I had braked before an impact, and other goodies from the computer in the car. And that the police could request this information in event of an accident.

As long as they don't tell my wife my average speed

 

Oh, BTW, they can only tell your speed, not WHERE you sped. I happen to have a close friend that owns a large piece of land with great driving roads. Private property, no speed limits. At least that's what I'd tell them

 

I don't think this is new news ...
MSNBC story from last century
Slashdot article from May 2003

Two sides to all technology ...

 

>>Oh, BTW, they can only tell your speed, not WHERE you sped.

If you were doing 115mph, braked for impact, then impacted with a last recorded speed of 87mph....how are you going to put together a defense for that!!!!