According to dottocomu, Japanese taxi firm "Nihon Kotsu has announced it is to introduce "flight recorders" to its fleet--a device that will record video as seen from the driver's seat for 18 seconds spanning before and after an accident."
Such technologies have raised some complaints in the U.S. regarding driver privacy, but dottcomu points out that there's one important reason it could be more popular in Japan: "it's usual for the police to apportion blame between both parties involved by default, and you will end up paying out even if you're not to blame." For Nihon Kotsu, the expectation is that the black boxes will help them avoid having to pay for damages in some accidents. It's a nice example of how legal and policy issues can shape the ways that people react to technologies.
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