Taxi flight recorders

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.

The device, called the Witness, is a 5 x 15 cm, 120g unit with a wide-angle lens that is fitted to the inside of the windscreen. It reacts to sharp braking or direction changes, sounding an alarm and recording colour images, speed, and the force of any impact. The hope is that the alarm will alert drivers to potential accidents and enable them to be avoided. Nihon Kotsu will initially be fitting the device to 20% of its fleet, with the plan ultimately being to put it on sale to the general public.

This sounds like a boon in terms of providing objective information about an accident, particularly in Japan where 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. (If you hit a pedestrian or cyclist it's deemed your fault, whatever the circumstances.)

[Via Slashdot Japan (Japanese)]