Colloquially referred to as black packing containers, flight recorders had been mandated by high aviation nations within the late Nineteen Sixties. Despite their identify, they are not truly black; these gadgets are sometimes vivid orange to make them simpler to search out after a crash. Later this yr, the same gadget will grow to be necessary on all new vehicles bought within the European Union.

Starting from July 2024, all newly registered vehicles within the European Union should come geared up with an “Event Data Recorder” (EDR) as an ordinary characteristic. This requirement applies to passenger vehicles falling beneath the M1 class, which might accommodate as much as eight passenger seats, along with the driving force’s seat. Moreover, industrial autos categorized as N1 class, together with pickup vans and vans not exceeding 3,500 kilograms (7,716 kilos), may also be geared up with the automotive equal of a black field.

It’s price noting that no kind approvals have been given to automakers searching for to homologate new vehicles within the European Union since July 2022. The EU includes 27 nations: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic / Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.