For anyone who has been in the unfortunate situation of being involved in a car accident that has led to a court case, you know better than anyone just how important it is to be able to prove your credibility and your case. Your word against the other driver’s word doesn’t offer the same kind of guarantee as cold hard evidence. But how do you go about getting that evidence if there were no witnesses to the accident?
Something that many drivers don’t realize is that their car’s on-board computer systems can actually tell a very detailed story, and help to prove their credibility in court. Let’s take a closer look.
The Event Data Recorder
Most people are familiar with the “black box” that exists on airplanes. It is used to record all kinds of data and can tell investigators a story should there be an issue with how the plane performs. In an airline crash, the black box is what can uncover the mystery and help airline transport officials make critical changes, adjustments, and tweak rules and regulations to help ensure that type of incident never occurs again.
So, did you know that much like an airplane your vehicle also has its own version of a black box? Called the Event Data Recorder (EDR), this device will keep track of everything that happens with your vehicle. It exists in 96% of all new cars that are being sold in the country today, so there’s a good chance your vehicle has it.
These EDR devices consist of microcomputer chip sets that record data on one continuous loop. What this means is that it writes over the previous data over and over. The only time this stops is if your car is involved in a crash. At this point, these EDR devices will save up to five seconds of data right before the crash and then five seconds during, and after. As you can imagine, this could prove to be critical information in a court case.
So, What Happens if the Car is Totaled?
In severe car accidents, the car may be deemed a write-off with damage so significant that it isn’t drivable, nor is it worth repairing. In those cases, you may make the assumption that the EDR information must be lost, but that isn’t necessarily true.
Companies such as Secure Forensics are working on digital forensics methods so that they can retrieve data even in extreme cases such as an automobile accident. The information that they can get from your EDR may be able to clear you in court, strengthen your case, add credibility to your account, and help ensure that the settlement goes your way.
The Way of the Future
As car manufacturers continue to improve upon EDR technology and the devices continue to be added to more and more vehicles coming off the assembly lines, look for this to play a critical role in helping to determine court cases and battles.
