Driver Privacy Act of 2015

To limit the retrieval of data from vehicle event data recorders, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Driver Privacy Act of 2015 2. Limitations on data retrieval from vehicle event data recorders (a) Ownership of data Any data retained by an event data recorder (as defined in section 563.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations), regardless of when the motor vehicle in which it is installed was manufactured, is the property of the owner, or, in the case of a leased vehicle, the lessee of the motor vehicle in which the event data recorder is installed. (b) Privacy Data recorded or transmitted by an event data recorder described in subsection (a) may not be accessed by a person other than an owner or a lessee of the motor vehicle in which the event data recorder is installed unless— (1) a court or other judicial or administrative authority having jurisdiction— (A) authorizes the retrieval of the data; and (B) to the extent that there is retrieved data, the data is subject to the standards for admission into evidence required by that court or other administrative authority; (2) an owner or a lessee of the motor vehicle provides written, electronic, or recorded audio consent to the retrieval of the data for any purpose, including the purpose of diagnosing, servicing, or repairing the motor vehicle, or by agreeing to a subscription that describes how data will be retrieved and used; (3) the data is retrieved pursuant to an investigation or inspection authorized under section 1131(a) or 30166 of title 49, United States Code, and the personally identifiable information of an owner or a lessee of the vehicle and the vehicle identification number is not disclosed in connection with the retrieved data, except that the vehicle identification number may be disclosed to the certifying manufacturer; (4) the data is retrieved for the purpose of determining the need for, or facilitating, emergency medical response in response to a motor vehicle crash; or (5) the data is retrieved for traffic safety research, and the personally identifiable information of an owner or a lessee of the vehicle and the vehicle identification number is not disclosed in connection with the retrieved data. 3. Vehicle event data recorder study (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shall submit to Congress a report that contains the results of a study conducted by the Administrator to determine the amount of time event data recorders installed in passenger motor vehicles should capture and record for retrieval vehicle-related data in conjunction with an event in order to provide sufficient information to investigate the cause of motor vehicle crashes. (b) Rulemaking Not later than 2 years after submitting the report required under subsection (a), the Administrator shall promulgate regulations to establish the appropriate period during which event data recorders installed in passenger motor vehicles may capture and record for retrieval vehicle-related data to the time necessary to provide accident investigators with vehicle-related information pertinent to crashes involving such motor vehicles.

Summary: (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Driver Privacy Act of 2015 (Sec. 2) Declares that any data in an event data recorder required to be installed in a passenger motor vehicle (as provided for under Department of Transportation [DOT] regulations concerning the collection, storage, and retrievability of onboard motor vehicle crash event data) is the property of the owner or lessee of the vehicle in which the recorder is installed, regardless of when the vehicle was manufactured. Prohibits a person, other than the owner or lessee of the motor vehicle, from accessing data recorded or transmitted by such a recorder unless: a court or other judicial or administrative authority authorizes the retrieval of such data subject to admissibility of evidence standards; an owner or lessee consents to such retrieval for any purpose, including vehicle diagnosis, service, or repair; the data is retrieved pursuant to certain authorized investigations or inspections of the National Transportation Safety Board or DOT; the data is retrieved to determine the appropriate emergency medical response to a motor vehicle crash; or the data is retrieved for traffic safety research, and the owner's or lessee's personally identifiable information and the vehicle identification number are not disclosed. (Sec. 3) Directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, after completing a study and submitting a report to Congress, to promulgate regulations concerning the amount of time event data recorders installed in passenger motor vehicles may capture and record vehicle-related data to provide accident investigators with pertinent crash-related information.