Auto Black Box Misinterpretations - EDR

Each year hundreds of thousands of people are killed on American roads. These vehicle accidents are handled by accident reconstruction experts. There are many true methods in determining the proximate cause(s) of these accidents such as: physical evidence, eye witness accounts and some investigators are using the auto black box or  Event Data Recorder - (EDR)" as a stand-alone device; see spec readout.

Some various groups attempt to draw parallel references to the airplane black box; this is the furthest thing from the truth. Unlike, the airplane “Black Box,” which has the capability of recording positioning, actual travel velocity (speed and direction), safety device(s) utilization, mechanical issues, operating errors, time, date, as well as audio in the cockpit/compartment; see specs readout.

Safety Act Of 2010 (S.3302) 

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 (S.3302) - 111TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION, which would have been an amendment to FMVSS Title 49, US Code. This act would have addressed several issues concerning motor vehicle safety, they are as followed: Title - (I) Vehicle Electronics And Safety Standards, (II) Enhanced Safety Authorities, (III) Transparency and Accountability, (IV) Funding.**

Unfortunately , The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 (S.3302) never passed beyond the House of Representatives. If this bill would have passed, it would have addressed several issues concerning motor vehicle safety, including "Auto Black Box - Event Data Recorder" regulations.

Proposed Final Ruling - 2011 - 49 CFR Part 563 - Automotive Black Box - Event Data Recorder (EDR) - Expert Witness

Starting September 2011 - 2012 or thereabout, The Department Of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing in their the final ruling, that if the vehicle manufacturers installs the Automobile Black Box or Vehicle Event Data Recorder, they must comply with the following summary: "(1)  A minimum set of data elements, (2) sensors (accelerometers) are required to be +/- 5%, (3) EDR Data Retrieval commercially available tools/universal Interface, (4) VEDR Survivability and Crash Test Performance Requirements EDR Survivability and Crash Test Performance (5) Privacy Issues, (6) Owner's manual disclosure statements, (7) Requirements Applicability of the VEDR Rule to Multi-stage Vehicles, (8) Applicability of the EDR Rule to Heavy Vehicles and Buses (9) Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) and E-911, (10) Utilization of certain engineering standards". **

Key Issues EDR -  Expert

In NHTSA final ruling, in which, the EDR is not required that vehicle manufacturers installs the automobile black box in their vehicle(s).  Certain environmental elements were never addressed concerning various factors. Furthermore, there are no external ports on the device. Some of the sensors (accelerometers) are required to be certain tolerances, which may violate state(s) and/or federal regulations. The Automobile Black Box or Vehicle Data Recorder - VEDR still measure certain data and/or specs.  This is an important factor, which is based on road conditions and vehicle positions in relationship to the referenced roadway. 

Event Data Recorder (EDR) - Conclusion - Expert

The Auto Black Box or Event Data Recorder - (EDR) should never be used as a stand-alone device. The use of physical evidence, such as impact data, skid/yaw marks, initial/resting positions of vehicle(s), in conjunction with the black box, as well as the answers to many tough questions will indeed have to be addressed regarding privacy issues, admissibility, and common sense is essential to obtain the correct resultant, the use of “Auto Black Box or Event Data Recorder". 

Expert Witness Services

Includes the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico, New York / NY / New York City / NYC, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania (PA) , Rhodes Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

* UPDATED:  2022-2023 for additional info read our blog

** This article  is for informational purposes only. **