Don't get worked up over nothing. There's a BIG difference between these "event data recorders" and a true "black box".
In the vehicles listed, all the EDR does is take a brief 'snapshot' of the vehicle condition prior to a crash. They have about a 3-4 second memory that stores things like vehicle speed, throttle position, which sensor tripped the airbag module, etc. etc..
In truth, the reason those are there is to cover the manufacturer's ass. It prevents someone from falsely accusing the vehicle of being defective.
The memory is ONLY four seconds long. It is NOT a "flight recorder". A dealership couldn't really use a 4-second clip to claim that you had been driving the car too hard, etc. etc. and deny warranty work. Not only is the data too short, but it's insufficient for that. It doesn't log EVERYTHING that's going on, like MAF, spark, blah blah. Hell I don't even think it logs engine temp. Just basics like vehicle speed and whether you have your foot on the brake or gas - info relevant to a crash.
As for insurance companies using it agianst you in an accident, well, I have two thoughts. One, if you WERE driving 120mph through and intersection, and you crash, frankly....screw you if the insurance co uses it against you. If you speed and crash, you're the one that broke the law. That's a risk we all take driving every day .. don't whine about it. And second... even with out the box, the cops can figure all that out anyway. Measure skid marks, look at the damage to the vehicles, etc... they know how fast you were going. Maybe not EXACTLY 112mph, but they can reconstruct it accurately to within say 110-120mph, and that's admissible in court anyway. All it does when the insurance co uses the recorded data is save everyone some time...
