A communication system comprises a pointable range finder to calculate a distance between the vehicle and an object, a recorder for recording a status of the vehicle and a control device. The range finder sends a signal to the control device corresponding to the vehicle's distance from the object and the control device operates the recorder in a manner dependent upon the signal from the range finder. The recorder is able to record the event if the vehicle is an unsafe distance from the object. The unsafe distance is able to be a programmed distance. In some embodiments, the unsafe distance increases with an increase in speed of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the unsafe distance is determined by a programmable constant. In these embodiments, the unsafe distance is determined according to a speed of the vehicle, the vehicle's distance from an object and a pre-defined safe zone threshold value.