Most new cars contain data recorders

CNN/Money has reported that 65% of new cars from model year 2005 are equipped with data recorders similar to the "black box" flight data recorders used on major airliners.

Most people who buy new cars may be unaware that their speed, steering actions, engine conditions, and other vehicle movements are being recorded. Because of this, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has now mandated that consumers be informed of the existence of these devices before purchasing a vehicle. In fact, the new regulation stipulates that information about the recorder must appear in the owner's manual of every car containing such a device beginning with 2011 models.

The devices are known as Event Data Recorders, or EDRs, and already come pre-installed on the majority of new cars being sold in the United States. Most EDRs are entwined in the circuitry and microprocessors that control the vehicle's performance and are therefore almost impossible to disable without rendering the car immobile.

Event Data Recorders do not record voices or any sounds, just data captured from movements of the vehicle and its components.