The recent car accidents and problems that Toyota is currently dealing with brings up a question that many people are interested in: is there a way to find out who’s fault a car accident truly was? The answer is that technology that many of us are unaware of can provide valuable information that may reveal exactly what happened. Around 60% of vehicles are equipped with event data recorders (EDR’s) which are very similar to black boxes that can be found in airplanes. These EDR’s record data such as how fast your vehicle was traveling, if airbags deployed and how well your breaks worked in the incident. Safety advocates say that the devices provide useful information in how to prevent future accidents as well as improve the safety of vehicle models.

While some may be concerned about privacy issues, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety are pushing hard to make EDR data collection mandatory after all serious car accidents. The EDR information is owned by the owner of the vehicle. So when insurance companies and car manufacturers offer to buy totaled cars after serious accidents, they most likely are interested in the information inside of the EDR.

Currently, states vary in on whether or not they allow EDR data to be subpoenaed in court but that could change in the future, especially with the recent Toyota malfunctions. Again, there may be some that are concerned about privacy issues with EDR devices, but the fact of the matter is, the information in the event data recorders could save lives, provide valuable information in auto accident cases and could strengthen and improve the quality of vehicles on our roads today.

This information is provided by Premier Law Group. Premier Law Group is a group of attorneys who work with car accidents, serious injuries and employee rights cases among other practice areas. Contact our Seattle office at 1-888-333-1873 to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. Or, visit Straight Talk Law where you can order free books on Washington auto accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information

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