An electronic control module or event data recorder can give you more information after you’re involved in an automobile crash with a large truck. In many cases, trucking companies do use these devices, also colloquially known as black boxes, to keep track of their drivers’ actions.
The black boxes are helpful because they record things like the driver’s speed, sudden braking, maneuvers and system errors.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the term “electronic data recorder” can refer to a few different kinds of machinery. EDRs can record for different lengths of time and may sometimes record varied information compared to competitors. For example, EDRs may record:
- Post-crash data, like if the automatic collision notification system was activated
- Driver inputs
- The vehicle crash signature
- Pre-crash dynamics
- The use of restraints
- Airbag deployment
These and other pieces of data may be available and recorded on the truck’s EDR, which means that you need to seek out this device if you’ve been hurt in a collision.
Why do you need the EDR?
It’s important to get the EDR to build your case. For example, if the driver is trying to say that they weren’t speeding and that you cut them off, data showing them going 20 mph over the limit could be helpful to your case.
If the driver says they put on the brakes before hitting you but the EDR shows no brakes being used, that can also be helpful information. It could show a maintenance issue or brake failure, or it could show that the driver was not being truthful.
In any case, this data gives details about the crash that you may not otherwise be able to know.
After a serious truck accident, you deserve to seek compensation
After a major truck accident, you may have serious injuries that require consistent medical attention. You could have lost wages as well as other financial losses, too. Seeking out the EDR can help you build your case, so you can ask for fair compensation for what you’ve gone through and get the money you need as you try to put your life back together during your recovery.
