Most people living in and around San Jose are familiar with the "black boxes" that are onboard airplanes. These black boxes, or event data recorders (EDR), record the conditions aboard an airplane and these conditions are retrieved and analyzed in the event of a crash. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering a proposal that would require EDRs to be installed on all new automobiles.

Some automakers already use EDRs in their automobiles. General Motors has included black boxes on most of its vehicles that come equipped with airbags since the 1990s. EDRs are designed to record vehicle conditions in a vehicle in the moments leading up to a car accident.