The NHTSA proposes to amend its regulations regarding Event Data Recorders

The  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposes to extend the EDR recording period for timed data metrics of pre-crash data. 

The proposal mainly focuses on extending the recording time before an accident. The biggest amendments would include, changing the timed data metrics from 5 seconds of pre-crash data at a frequency of 2 Hz to 20 seconds of pre-crash data at a frequency of 10 Hz. This would for example  increase from 2 samples per second to 10 samples per second. 

The findings of the EDR duration study shows that the current EDR recording duration of 5 seconds prior to a crash fails to capture the whole initiation of braking and steering maneuvers prior to a crash in a significant percentage of cases. The proposed longer pre-crash recording duration would help ensure that pre-crash action and maneuver initiation data are captured for most crashes.  

Further, the proposed refinement of the sensing frequency can be used to capture, in particular, rapid vehicle control inputs (e.g., brake application and release or rapid reversals of steering input of less than 0.5 seconds) and activation of crash avoidance technologies that would be completely absent from the data stream at the current 2 Hz sensing frequency.  

The texts of the Regulation can be consulted HERE.