Driver Privacy Act

To limit the retrieval of data from vehicle event data recorders. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Driver Privacy Act 2. Limitations on data retrieval from vehicle event data recorders (a) Ownership of data Any data in an event data recorder required under part 563 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, regardless of when the passenger 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 passenger 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 the owner or 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) all of the owners or lessees of the motor vehicle provide informed written consent to the retrieval of the data for any purpose, including the purpose of diagnosing, servicing, or repairing the motor vehicle; (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 the owner or lessee of the vehicle and the vehicle identification number is not disclosed in connection with the retrieved data; (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 the owner or lessee of the vehicle and the vehicle identification number is not disclosed in connection with the retrieved data. (c) Limitation on data retrieval Data from an event data recorder may only be accessed pursuant to subsection (b) to the extent that such data was recorded in conjunction with an event (as defined in section 563.5 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 a report to Congress 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 1 year 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: Driver Privacy Act - Declares that any data retained by a motor vehicle's event data recorder (as defined in Department of Transportation [DOT] regulations) is the property of the owner or lessee of the motor 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: (1) a court or other judicial or administrative authority authorizes the retrieval of such data subject to admissibility of evidence standards; (2) an owner or lessee provides written or electronic consent to such retrieval for any purpose, including vehicle diagnosis, service, or repair; (3) the data is retrieved pursuant to certain authorized investigations or inspections of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) or DOT; (4) the data is retrieved to determine the appropriate emergency medical response to a motor vehicle crash; or (5) the data is retrieved for traffic safety research. Prohibits, when data is retrieved in connection with traffic safety research or an NTSB or DOT investigation or inspection, the disclosure of: (1) personally identifiable information of the vehicle owner or lessee, and (2) the vehicle identification number (VIN). Provides an exemption from such prohibition to allow disclosure of VINs to certifying manufacturers. Directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 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 should capture and record vehicle-related data in conjunction with an event in order to provide sufficient information to investigate the cause of crashes.