GM Ignition Switch Fault

trader_4 wrote:

> In the case above, the car was working fine, until a drunk driver
> came across and hit them head on. What would a driver in the GM
> car likely do at some point prior to impact in that case?
>
> Slam on the brakes.
> And doing so, with a heavy keychain, the extreme deceleration
> causes the key to move. That cuts off the airbags. So, a similar
> thing could have happened in many of the other 13 deaths, ie
> it wasn't the key moving that instigated the accident, through
> the steering/braking being more difficult, but some other event.
> The scenario being you're running off the road already headed to
> a tree, whatever, you slam on the brakes, that moves the key,
> turning off the airbags.

Aren't cars made during the past 10 years (and moreso 5 years) supposed
to have sophisticated "black-box" data logging systems that record a lot
of what's going on with the car (steering wheel movements, braking,
speed, etc) compared to 10+ years ago?

So much more logging that it's become standard practice for cops to have
sophisticated data recovery tools sold to them by third-party equipment
makers with slick marketing that tells cops that there's valuable
evidence just waiting for them at crash scenes?

If so, then it should be a simple matter to know the state of the
ignition switch or airbags prior to, say, loss of main battery bus or
engine RPM offscale or zero (the loss of either one being the indicator
of impact damage in progress).