Does your car have a 'black box'?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Is it a case of Big Brother watching or a sophisticated way to conduct automobile safety research?

About two-thirds of the new vehicles on the roads today have it, but most people have no idea it’s hidden deep inside their cars.

Event data recorders or "black boxes" in cars are similar to those on airplanes. Only, these document what happened the few seconds before, during and after a crash when the airbags were deployed.

They can provide crucial information such as the vehicle’s speed, engine speed, percent of throttle, when the brake switch comes on and even the change in speed of a vehicle during impact.

"The whole purpose of this was to be able to look and see what drivers were doing right before the accident occurred," AAA of the Carolinas Tom Crosby explained to NewsChannel 36.

It's real world data designed to improve the safety and crash worthiness of cars that's now also arming others with indisputable evidence in court.

Insurance companies, law enforcement agencies and forensic engineering firms like Delta [v] of Charlotte are able to download the information from willing automakers including GM, Ford, Chrysler, Isuzu and Mitsubishi.

"It can be revealing. It can either exonerate you or stick you with regards to involvement in a wreck," Brian Anders of Delta [v] said.

"It's not something that's generally disclosed to the public," added Crosby.

While some states have passed laws that owners be notified if the cars they’re purchasing are equipped with black boxes, North Carolina hasn’t.

But come 2011, all automakers who install the electronic devices in their vehicles will be required by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to include the information in the owner’s manual.

The rule also includes new requirements designed to ensure that the data collected from event data recorders can be used to improve highway safety and that automakers collect the same type of crash data.