The black box is something that gets a lot of attention when a plane crashes because it is the device that records everything that happened on the plane prior to the accident.  However, now they are being implemented in cars to show everything from design defects to driver speeds before the impact.

National Public Radio (NPR) reports that emergency data recorders or EDRs are being used more and more to find out what happened during a car accident.  Lately, with all the attention that Toyota Motor Corp.’s has getting over accelerator problems, ERD information might hold the key to the reason why a crash occurred.

Car blackboxes are being used to find out who is at fault for a car accident (Source: National Public Radio)

Our firm’s San Diego auto accident attorneys believe that any information about why a car accident occurred is a good thing to have, especially in the event that it could help solve the case of a wrongful death.  When manufacturers and investigators find out why an accident happened so they can prevent future ones from unfolding in the same manner.

It can also give some insight as to who was in fault during an accident, you or another driver.

Courts have seen the use of EDRs go up in recent years.  A judge in Florida denied an attorney’s request to have EDR information admitted as evidence against his client in drunk driving accident (DUI) case.  Because that data was admissable, it became a key element to convicting the drunk driver of killing two people due to his reckless driving.

Unlike the black boxes found on planes, a car’s EDR is not a series of chips and sensors that collect information all over the vehicle, downloading everything up to five or six seconds prior to an accident on a hard disk.  For cases like the runaway Toyota Prius on San Diego’s Interstate-8 freeway, this information can be used to find out if the driver made a mistake or the car malfunctioned.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked for a rule in 2006 that would require the majority of vehicles to install ERDs and all models made after 2013 would have a mandatory initiative to collect 15 different types of data.

The auto accident attorneys in our San Diego firm think that while EDRs cannot be expected to put a stop to all accidents, they can find out the reason why a crash occurred so that measurers can be taken to prevent similiar accidents in the future.

If you or a loved one were injured in an automobile accident you didn’t cause, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-858-551-2090 or please click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego.  We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.