WASHINGTON, (Aug. 4, 2004) — The National Transportation Safety Board recommended for the first time that the federal government require passenger vehicles to be equipped with black boxes that record speed, seat belt use, braking and other factors.

In June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said automakers are adding black boxes fast enough on their own. About 15 per cent of vehicles now on the road have the data recorders, and NHTSA says between 65 and 90 per cent of 2004 vehicles have some sort of recording ability. .By September 2008, the agency wants recorders to collect up to 42 data elements, including the time it takes for air bags to deploy.

But that isn’t good enough, the safety board said.

The safety board’s recommendation arose from its investigation into the July 16, 2003, farmers market crash in Santa Monica, Calif., in which an elderly driver stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake, plowing into the open-air market, killing 10 and injuring 63. The board concluded that investigators could have gained a better scientific understanding of the incident had the vehicle been outfitted with an event data recorder.

Based on its investigation of the Santa Monica crash, the board concluded that “standards governing voluntary, rather than mandatory, installation of event data recorders in light-duty vehicles will not result in obtaining the maximum highway safety benefits from this technology.”

The concept of “black boxes” have been discussed for years. In 2002, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration scrapped the idea. But last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals said black boxes should be reconsidered when it threw out new hours-of-service rules that took effect in January 2004. The FMCSA has been told by the court it must review and revise its regulation. The agency is considering an appeal.

— with files from Associated Press