Insights
J.S. Held Releases Insights on Risks & Opportunities Expected to Impact Organizations in 2025
Read MoreThe event data recorder (EDR) or “black box” provides accident reconstruction experts with a powerful tool, allowing for the reconstruction of events in a collision in greater detail, with higher accuracy and with more precision than ever before. These black box modules began appearing in General Motors vehicles as early as 1994 and were relatively primitive in that they primarily recorded crash severity data for frontal collisions. However, as is the case with all electronics-based components, the capabilities of these black boxes have increased significantly since their introduction.
Modern modules can record a multitude of parameters, which could include front occupant seat belt use, general front passenger weight, steering wheel input, and even individual wheel speeds. Additionally, unlike black boxes of old that could only record data in one-second increments, some newer modules are capable of recording data every 1/10th of a second, allowing for more refined and accurate analysis. Not only have these black boxes evolved to be more powerful, but the number of automotive manufacturers who support the technology is also growing annually.
For example, prior to the year 2000, General Motors was the only major automotive manufacturer to support black box data retrieval. Fast forward, and by 2015 there were more than 37 vehicle brands (including exotic vehicles such as Lamborghini and Alpha Romeo) that had embraced EDR support. In fact, chances are that if a vehicle was made in 2010 or later, it supports black box downloads.
With the continual advancement of automotive technologies, future EDRs could undergo even more substantial increases in capability. With every model year, vehicles are being fitted with additional sensors, including forward facing cameras and radar sensors. The latest push by manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and Audi is to supply completely autonomous vehicles capable of communicating directly with roadway infrastructure and other vehicles. This opens a whole new realm of possibilities into the future of black box technologies.
We would like to thank Shady Attalla, P.Eng., CFEI, for providing insight and expertise that greatly assisted this research.
Shady Attalla is a Vice President of Engineering in J.S. Held's Accident Reconstruction Practice. He has been an active member of the accident reconstruction industry since 2008. Mr. Attalla has been involved in more than 1200 technical investigations and has been the lead engineer in more than 700 technical investigations involving automobiles, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, and mechanical failures. His specialty areas are driver and pedestrian behaviour, damage consistency analysis, and investigations of material failures. Mr. Attalla is a published author and has qualified to provide expert evidence in the Ontario Court of Justice.
Shady can be reached at [email protected] or +1 416 977 0009.
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