Crash

The author of "Black Box" here transfers his attention from air disasters to car crashes, from the first fatality in 1896, exploring why they happened and whether human error or technology was at fault. He argues that, with 80 per cent of drivers blaming accidents on other people, there has been deep-seated resistance to safety measures as motorists believed their "good driving" would protect them. But he claims that car manufacturers were also at fault, being opposed to the introduction of air bags and other safety measures. The book includes a report on the recent incorporation of black boxes in Saabs, to record what happens to a car prior to an accident.