Most of us know that airplanes have “black boxes” that record important data that can be accessed after a crash. Fewer people know, however, that most cars made after about 2013 also have Event Data Recorders (EDR), or black boxes, that have important info your car accident lawyer in Fort Myers, FL may be able to use after a crash to show what happened.
What’s an EDR and How Do You Access It?
The EDR doesn’t record everything or send constant surveillance information anywhere. What it’s doing is taking snapshots of the car systems at the moment of a crash or any near crash. Basically, if you slam on the brakes or it senses a jolt, it will kick on. It will also kick on if some of your safety systems are engaged, like airbags.
The EDR will typically show the speed the car was traveling at the time of the crash, whether the seatbelts were engaged, whether the driver was pressing on the gas (and how hard), and whether the brakes were hit. It may or may not show other information, but EDR systems function in different ways, depending on model, year of production, and manufacturer.
Getting access to this data isn’t necessarily straightforward. You can’t access it on your dashboard; it can only be retrieved using some special hardware and software that connects with your vehicle’s diagnostic system. For this reason, it’s important that you don’t authorize any repairs or salvage of your damaged vehicle too quickly after an accident. If the information from the other vehicle could be important to your case, get your lawyer to request the court in writing to hold it as evidence.
Why It’s Important
EDR data is important because it is neutral. It doesn’t have a bias, and it can’t forget. In a car accident, liability disputes often center around just a couple of moments in time, and the humans involved in those moments may not accurately remember what was going on. That is just the nature of memory.
Beyond that, there’s always a temptation for someone who knows they’re liable to lie to protect themselves. The EDR data can prove what really happened. For example, in a rear-end collision, the following driver is typically held at fault automatically because they are required to keep a safe following distance. But if the EDR data backs up their claim that the front driver suddenly slammed on their brakes, this could help their case.
Limitations
It’s important to bear in mind that the black box is not a magic tool that will take care of everything in itself. It’s just one piece of evidence that your lawyer may be able to use. The EDR also cannot contribute to questions like whether a light was green or whether a pedestrian stepped out suddenly in front of a vehicle. It can only record what’s going on in the car.
Talk to a Fort Myers, FL Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you’ve been in an accident, call Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice, Purtz, Smith & Smith, P.A. in Fort Myers at (239) 441-2009. We also have offices in Port Charlotte, Naples, Cape Coral, and Lehigh Acres.