The car black box is an electronic device connected to your car battery: do you know what it records?
The car black box records a large amount of data on your driving behavior and records your speed, where you park and your journey.
This data recorded by the black box for cars is crucial for providing evidence in the event of a road accident or theft.
In detail, the car black box records :
- The geographical location
- The distance: the car black box is able to report driving and parking times for days, hours, minutes and percentage terms
- Total kilometers traveled
- Crash events: in the event of an accident, the car black box records the place, time and last speed detected
- Acceleration and deceleration
- Gear engaged
- Possible activation of safety devices
All this information is sent to a database via satellite: the database is essential for insurance companies for monitoring the behavior of their policyholders on the road.
Car black box: does it violate privacy?
In recent years, several associations have contested the use of the black box on cars as they argue that they violate the principles of privacy.
To date, there is no regulation that protects the privacy of motorists who decide to resort to the use of the black box.
Many associations have accused insurance companies of disseminating data from car black boxes without the consent of those directly involved.
Car black box: how to mount it
Fitting the black box on your car allows you to save on insurance: fitting it is complex and therefore it is recommended to rely on a professional.
Some insurance companies install the car black box for free, others instead for a figure that is around € 150.
If you are skilled in “do-it-yourself” you can try to assemble the car black box yourself by following the following steps:
- Loosen the two battery cables
- Position the device paying attention to the direction of travel indicated by the arrow
- Detach the strip found under the car black box and apply the device to the battery
- Insert the two cables: the red one and the black one
- Tighten the previously loosened cables, paying close attention to the GPS cables
- Check that the GPS bulb flashes: if so, it means that you have mounted the car black box correctly
Car black box: how it works
The black box for cars works in a very simple way: it is a GPS locator connected to a remote control center thanks to a telephone card that can record the position and speed of your vehicle.
In the event of an accident, the black box is able to record the force of the impact thanks to a particular accelerometer: in the event of an accident this device is able to reconstruct the dynamics.
If your car is stolen, the black box is able to facilitate its finding: motorists who install the black box on their car automatically declare their consent to be monitored.
Car black box: how to deactivate it
The black box on cars is deactivated when you change insurance policy: from the moment the black box data is visible to your insurance company, if you change it, the previous company’s right to keep possession of it will cease.
When you finalize the change of insurance company, you can ask the new company to install a new one, if any of their commercial offers.
As foreseen by the first Monti decree of 2012 in art. 32 the removal of the black box is always the responsibility of the insurance company you are leaving: if the latter creates problems, you can send a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to the insurance company, remembering the law in force.
