As technology increases year after year, so do vehicle safety systems. One type of safety system is a black box. Black box data, though generally associated with airplanes, is becoming increasingly available in motor vehicles across the country and offers insight into car accident cases. Understanding this tool and how it can benefit personal injury law is important for all drivers. Continue reading and reach out to a Monmouth County auto accident attorney to learn more about black box data today.
What is a Black Box?
A black box, formally known as an EDR (Event Data Recorder), is a device that lives within a vehicle and records data about the vehicle and occupants. Historically, black boxes have been used in airplanes and record data in the moments before a failure or crash. Auto manufacturers in the United States have been using EDRs in vehicles since the 1990s, and most cars sold after 2010 contain one.
Black box records can include a variety of data related to the vehicle, including the following.
- Speed traveled
- Acceleration and deceleration speeds
- Steering angles
- Vehicle tilt
- Throttle position
- Whether brakes were applied
- The force of impact
- Time airbags were deployed
- Whether seatbelts were buckled
- GPS location information
Black boxes record information only when the vehicle is running and capture data relevant to how the car was being operated in the moments just before and during a collision.
How Can Black Box Data Be Used in a Personal Injury Case?
In the same way that black box data is used to record what went wrong in an airplane crash, the information gathered can help provide clarity in personal injury cases involving auto accidents. Black box data can be invaluable as it offers a factual, clear, and objective picture of what potentially caused the car accident.
Black box data can provide a variety of beneficial information that aids car accident cases in the following ways and more.
- Determining fault: Disputes regarding fault and liability often hinder car accident cases. Black box data can clear up any arguments by providing evidence of the vehicle’s speed, braking history, steering, and more
- Supporting insurance claims: Insurance companies can use black box data to verify the accuracy of an insurance claim and match the information provided with the drivers’ stories.
- Accident reconstruction: Accident reconstruction specialists are invaluable in personal injury cases and EDRs can help them more accurately reconstruct the events leading up to the accident.
- Show the driver’s behavior: Black box data can help establish the type of driver the individual is and help determine whether negligent or reckless driving contributed to the accident.
In general, black box data acts as an impartial and objective witness to the accident. When there is clear evidence that someone braked to avoid the accident, made a severe turn out of nowhere, was speeding, swerving, etc., it can help paint a clear picture of the accident and ensure a fair outcome of an insurance claim or lawsuit.
To learn more about black box data and the role it plays in personal injury law, reach out to an experienced lawyer at the Wilton Law Firm today.
