Modern vehicles can record a great deal of information when they are involved in a crash. Depending on the make, model and model year of the vehicle, this data may include:
- Vehicle Speed
- Engine Speed (RPM)
- Brakes On or Off
- Steering Input in Degrees
- Percent Throttle Applied by Driver
The items above are recorded at or near the time of the crash and usually for some time before the crash (commonly 5 seconds, in one second increments).
Other data that the EDR can capture includes:
- Seat belt status of the driver & front passenger (‘Buckled’ or ‘Not Buckled’)
- Airbag warning lamp status
- Severity of the crash, measured as the Change of Velocity of the vehicle (Delta V)
- Ignition cycles at the time of the crash
- Stability Control, Cruise Control or other similar vehicle systems active or not
- Time between crash events
The newest generation of cars can capture even more data than is listed above. For example, a Toyota with Toyota Safety Sense are even capable of capturing photographs before, during and after a driving event.
Please remember, as a general rule, the older the vehicle, the less data is available. Please discuss your incident with us so we can give you an indication of what exact information may be available for your particular car.