SERVICES

Crash Data Retrieval

R&R Consulting and Investigations employs Certified Bosch CDR Technicians at Levels One & Two, and are equipped with the latest equipment and software. Only Certified Bosch CDR Technicians are authorized to retrieve/image crash data from the Bosch Crash Data retrieval system. We are also certified Crash data Analysts who can take this data and provide you with a detailed report explaining this data in terms that are clear and concise. The information retrieved provides invaluable information in determining fault and liability in subsequent insurance claims, court hearings and insurance surcharges should you be involved in an accident.

As of September 2012, all vehicles sold in the United States are required to be equipped with Event Data Recorders. Some manufacturers were equipping vehicles with this technology as early as 1994. The data stored includes:

• Vehicle speed before an event
• Vehicle speed immediately after an event
• Engine RPMs
• Braking
• Seat Belt usage
• Air Bag Deployment
• Steering
• Severity of the impact (measured as a change in velocity, or delta V)

This information must be recovered in a timely, expeditious manner for the following reasons:

1. The insurance Company may total the vehicle and take possession. It may dispose of the vehicle by selling it to rebuilders, salvage yards, car dealers and exporters. If the insurance company totals your car, this process occurs immediately after the accident. Usually, in less than a month, the insurance company has ownership of your car and it is gone.
2. The data in the recorder can be lost to water, fire damage.
3. The vehicle could have mechanical/electrical problems at a later time that hamper or prevent the recovery of the data.
4. Once the owner loses possession of the crash vehicle, the data is no longer available.
5. The CDR can only retain a finite amount of information. Should the vehicle be involved in another collision, the earlier accident data may be deleted to save the newer data.

The data retrieved/imaged from the vehicle is then saved as a computer file or a PDF document and can be analyzed by a Bosch Certified Analyst at any point later to determine the pertinent data.

The data shown can be important in criminal defense if you are unjustly charged. The retrieved data can be used in insurance claims settlements as it can indicate the severity of an accident and support or disprove injury claims. It can provide valuable information as to who is at fault. This data can be extremely important in the imposition of “Insurance Surcharges” on future insurance premiums should your insurance company claim you are at fault in an accident. The Crash Data can be the evidence that factually supports your innocence.

The data in the Event Data Recorder is imaged (copied) and is left intact in the automobile, this is a read only process. This data can then be imaged by Law Enforcement in their accident investigation; by insurance companies in their claims processing; and by vehicle owners for subsequent defense issues. Each of these entities has its own interest in the data as to how it may affect the entity’s final outcome. Insurance companies seldom retrieve the CDR data, as they need the owner’s permission to extract this data. Law Enforcement usually will only retrieve the CDR data if the accident involves a fatality or potential fatality, and it is never given up to the owner in its original form.

The analysis of the Crash Data from the Crash Data Recorder can only be interpreted by trained certified analysts. The information may seem reasonably easy to interpret; however, the dynamics of a collision can make the data easily misconstrued.

Examples

1. The politician’s spectacular car crash where a newspaper read the data of the vehicle traveling at over 100 MPH, which the data read, however, when the tires were going at that speed, the vehicle was not resting on the tires. It was skidding on other parts of the vehicle (roof, side).
2. Our client driving during the winter on a New England road turned a corner and saw a vehicle across the road against a tree, and immediately realized he was on black ice. The client struck the other vehicle and its driver who was outside his vehicle. The local and state police investigated but did not charge our client; however, the insurance company sent our client a letter advising him he was at fault and was being surcharged. We retrieved the Crash Data from his vehicle which showed him to be driving at 20 MPH five seconds prior to the collision and slowing and braking, doing everything humanly possible to avoid the collision, and that he had been operating the vehicle in a safe, reasonable manner prior to seeing the vehicle across the road. The client is appealing the surcharge which should be readily dismissed as he has the evidence (CDR report) to support he was operating in a safe, reasonable manner and the cause of the accident was road and weather conditions at the time. The cost to our client for Crash Data Retrieval and analysis was $600.00. The cost of a surcharge could be as much as $600.00 per year for six years. Each point is assessed a 15% increase in insurance premiums. A major accident with a three-point assessment can raise your premiums by 45% for 6 years. (Insurance Coverages Impacted by SDIP).

Call to schedule a retrieval of Crash Data before it is too late. The process to retrieve the data is as simple as your annual safety inspection for a sticker. The procedure consists of plugging into the vehicle’s data links system and retrieving the data from the correct modules the manufacturer has installed in your vehicle when it was built.