The majority of modern trucks have a “black box” installed. The purpose of a black box is to continuously gather data from the truck’s systems. This wealth of information can provide invaluable insight to investigators if a truck is involved in an accident.
WHAT IS A BLACK BOX?
The electronic control module (ECM) or event data recorder (EDR) in a truck is a device that serves the purpose of collecting data about the vehicle’s mechanics, as well as additional information about each trip. In addition to keeping a record of a truck’s speed, engine revolutions, and fuel use, a black box can also track the driver’s use of the vehicle: Information about airbag deployment, seatbelt use, and a driver’s time spent driving, accelerating, and braking are all preserved through the black box.
HOW CAN BLACK BOX DATA HELP IN A TRUCK ACCIDENT CASE?
The information collected by a black box provides an accurate, data-reliant portrait of every aspect of a truck’s operations. If a truck is involved in a collision, this data offers insight into exactly what occurred during the accident. A black box can reveal if the truck driver was speeding, if they spent too long on the road (contributing to fatigue), if they failed to use their brakes at the appropriate time, and if any of their injuries resulted from not wearing a seat belt. This information can demonstrate the liability of the truck driver in an accident.
If you have been injured in a truck accident, time is of the essence. You and your legal team will need to act quickly to retrieve the truck’s black box data. The devices can only hold a certain amount of information, and will erase data after a period of time. It is important to get started on your accident case and access the black box before it erases data, or before it can be removed by the truck driver.