SENATE BILL NO. 89 Offered January 11, 2006 Prefiled January 6, 2006 A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 46.2-1532.2, relating to manufacturer's disclosure of recording devices in new motor vehicles. ---------- Patron-- Watkins ---------- Referred to Committee on Transportation ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 46.2-1532.2 as follows:

§ 46.2-1532.2. Manufacturer-installed motor vehicle recording devices; disclosure.

A. As used in this section:

“Recorded data” means the data stored or preserved electronically in a recording device identifying performance or operation information about the motor vehicle, including but not limited to:

1. Speed of the motor vehicle or the direction in which the vehicle is traveling, or both;

2. Vehicle location data;

3. Vehicle steering performance;

4. Vehicle brake performance, including, but not limited to, whether brakes were applied before a crash;

5. The driver's seatbelt status;

6. Information concerning a crash in which the motor vehicle has been involved, including the ability to transmit such information to a central communications system.

 “Recording device” means an electronic system, and the physical device or mechanism containing the electronic system, that primarily, or incidental to its primary function, preserves or records, in electronic form, recorded data collected by sensors or provided by other systems within the vehicle.  “Recording device” includes event data recorders (EDRs), sensing and diagnostic modules (SDMs), electronic control modules (ECMs), automatic crash notification (ACN) systems, geographic information (GIS) systems, and any other device that records and preserves data that can be accessed related to that vehicle.

B. A manufacturer of a new vehicle sold or leased in the Commonwealth that is equipped with one or more recording devices installed by the manufacturer shall disclose that fact in the owner's manual for that vehicle.