Event data recorders (EDRs) are becoming more common, especially amongst newer vehicles, but what are they and what equipment do you need to recover the data?

Event data recorders are a little like a planes black box, in that, in the event of a crash, the EDR will record certain information about what the vehicle experienced at the time. You will note that I say, what the vehicle experienced, rather than what the vehicle was doing, and I’ll explain why a little later.

The precise information recorded by the vehicle will vary from model to model, but it is common place to find information such as vehicle speed, engine speed, seat occupancy, whether seat belts were being worn, whether the brake or accelerator pedals were being depressed and on occasions, forces. Some vehicles may capture more and others less, you will never truly know until you recover the data.

When it comes to recovering that data, the method of recovery again depends on the manufacturer. I’ve covered some of the more common methods, however, if you have a specific vehicle in mind, please feel free to contact me directly at enquiry@drivenforensics.co.uk and I will happily provide you with advice.

The tools generally come in three categories. General systems, manufacturer specific systems and manufacturer only.

General systems – These include the likes of Bosch Collision Data Retrieval (CDR) and Collision Sciences Crash Scan. These tools work across multiple manufacturers and models. Bosch CDR is generally used by UK police forces to recover crash data although Crash Scan are trying to break into the market, especially with law enforcement and insurers. Generally, Bosch CDR is more expensive to get started as you purchase equipment and an annual license, but during that license period you can recover as much crash data as you want, whereas, Collision Sciences Crash Scan is a lot cheaper to purchase and requires no annual license, you can scan a vehicle for crash data for free and if you want to access it, only then do you pay a fee.

Manufacturer specific systems – Some manufacturers do not subscribe to Bosch CDR or Crash Scan and instead, have introduced their own specific systems. The most common example being Kia, Hyundai and Tesla, although Tesla could equally fit in to the next category too. These all have their own systems. In order to download their data, you need the manufacturers specific system.

Manufacturer only – This section is a little more peculiar, so stick with me. The first in this category are manufacturers who insist on accessing the crash data themselves, the two common ones being Jaguar Land Rover and Tesla. For Tesla’s you require specific equipment, but the actual access of the data is completed remotely by Tesla, whereas, Jaguar Land Rover insist on recovering the data themselves using their own tools.

The second part of this are those vehicles which are slightly older, which contain an EDR, but they were destined for countries where EDR data was not a legal necessity and so they didn’t have to make the data available at all. I have seen numerous cases where older vehicles were fitted with an EDR which had recorded crash data, where the manufacturer request the airbag module be returned to them for download, and data was recovered.

Ultimately, if you are looking at this considering the best way to recover crash data, contact Driven Forensics, as we can help support you through the process. And just because we support you, it doesn’t mean we will charge you anything.

EDR data isn’t new, but its uptake amongst law enforcement and insurers in the UK has been slow and Driven Forensics would like to change that. There is a lot of value to be added in any investigation, whether criminal or civil, from the data captured on an EDR.

If we can assist in anyway, please contact us:

Email: enquiry@drivenforensics.co.uk (preferred)

Phone: 0113 534 8708