Russian government proposes to equip vehicles with 'black boxes'

Russia could start to enforce traffic rules with special devices in cars. The Russian government has proposed to install "black boxes" in all new cars sold in the country starting from 2020, the Izvestia newspaper has reported.

The devices will record vehicles' movements using signals from Russia's GLONASS satellite system, saving the data and sending it for processing to a single state center.

The center, proposed by Russian Deputy Transport Minister Alexei Tsydenov, will process the information from tachographs and other technical devices with analysis capabilities.

Infrastructure for such a center has already been created in Russia, with the launching of the GLONASS-based Emergency Response in Case of Accidents System on Jan. 1. Some automakers have already started to produce vehicles with integrated on-board terminals, including Russian Lada, Mercedes, Bentley and several other brands.

The navigation information transmission system is suggested as a tool for insurance and safety, but it can also be used to report traffic violations and bring the perpetrators to justice. Information about violations will be sent to the State Traffic Police (GAI), the TASS news agency reported.

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