The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Assn. (IEEE-SA) has started work on the first universal standard for motor vehicle event data recorders (MVEDR), or “black boxes.” Much like the black boxes used on commercial aircraft, MVEDRs would record crash data from cars and trucks to help improve vehicle safety, according to the group.

IEEE said its black box standards project brings together industry and government experts to formulate a minimum performance protocol for the use of onboard tamper- and crash-proof memory devices for all types and classes of highway and roadway vehicles. This standard would help manufacturers develop black boxes for cars, trucks, buses, ambulances and other vehicles.

The MVEDR standard will define what data should be captured, including date, time, location, velocity, heading, number of occupants and seat belt use. It will also define how that information should be obtained, recorded and transmitted.

“The more accurate the data we gather on highway crashes, the better chance we have to reduce the devastating effects of crashes,” said Jim Hall, co-chair of the IEEE P1616 working group and former head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).