Crash data //

What is crash data and how do you get it?

Modern vehicles are loaded with sensors that continuously monitor what the vehicle, and its driver, are doing. Some of the functions of these sensors include monitoring:

  • The speed of the vehicle

  • The steering wheel angle (i.e. the degree that the steering is turned to the left or right)

  • Brake pedal application by the driver

  • Accelerator pedal application percentage by the driver

  • Accelerations and/or forces to the vehicle during a collision.

Although the primary purpose of these sensors is to support important vehicle safety systems (like anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, and safety restraint systems), they also offer the opportunity to take a brief view of what the vehicle was doing in the moments before a collision occurred. What is typically referred to as an Event Data Recorder (EDR), is really just a system of recording and storing the observations and measurements made by these sensors in the moments (typically a five second period) leading up to a collision. 

Remember: Event Data Recorders only record data when the vehicle was involVed in a crash

 

Example of typical crash data recorded by an Event Data Recorder.

Does your vehicle have an event data recorder?

Find your vehicle’s manufacturer below to see the earliest model year that included an Event Data Recorder (EDR).

**Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and does not guarantee that your vehicle contains an EDR or retrievable crash data. Vehicles manufactured prior to 2014 may contain substantially less crash data than vehicles 2014+ Please contact us for specific questions regarding your vehicle’s EDR support and the types/extent of crash data that may be present.

  • ACURA

    2012+

  • ALFA ROMEO

    2015+

  • AUDI

    2015+

  • BENTLY

    2016+

  • BMW

    2013+

  • BUICK

    1994+

  • CADILLAC

    1994+

  • CHEVROLET

    1994+

  • CHRYSLER

    2006+

  • DODGE

    2005+

  • FERRARI

    2021+

  • FIAT

    2011+

  • FORD

    2001+

  • GMC

    1996+

  • HONDA

    2012+

  • HUMMER

    2003+

  • INFINITI

    2012+

  • JEEP

    2006

  • LAMBORGHINI

    2015+

  • LEXUS

    2000+

  • LINCOLN

    2001+

  • LUCID

    2021+

  • MASERATI

    2014+

  • MAZDA

    2011+

  • MERCEDES BENZ

    2014+

  • MERCURY

    2001+

  • MINI

    2014+

  • MITSUBISHI

    2006+

  • NISSAN

    2012+

  • OLDSMOBILE

    1995+

  • PONTIAC

    1994+

  • PORSCHE

    2019+

  • RAM

    2010+

  • ROLLS ROYCE

    2013+

  • SAAB

    2005+

  • SATURN

    1995+

  • SCION

    2003+

  • SMART

    2015+

  • SUBARU

    2012+

  • TESLA

    2012+

  • TOYOTA

    2001+

  • VOLKSWAGEN

    2009+

  • VOLVO

    2011+

did your vehicle record crash data?

Event Data Recorders are designed to record crash data when the vehicle experiences a predetermined crash severity (usually called the trigger or threshold). In general, the more significant the damage the more likely that crash data was recorded. If any of the vehicle’s airbags or seatbelt pretensioners deployed in the collision, crash data should have been recorded. However, there are exceptions to this rule and the presence of crash data is never guaranteed. Please contact us for specific questions regarding the likelihood of crash data being recovered from your vehicle. 

Note: The presence of crash data is not limited to vehicles involved in frontal collisions.  The images below are for demonstrative purposes only.

The three Honda Civics pictured below were all involved in frontal collisions but not all of them contained crash data.

  • Unlikely to have crash data

    Minor damage. Only plastic and thin metal components were bent or broken. No airbag deployments.

    See the EDR report

  • Likely to have crash data

    Moderate damage. Sturdy metal components and structures were bent and broken. No airbag deployments.

    See the EDR report

  • Will have crash data

    Severe damage. Sturdy metal components were substantially bent and displaced. Multiple Airbags deployed.

    See the EDR report

what about other electronic data?

Some vehicle’s record data for events other than crashes. Most notable is Toyota’s Vehicle Control History (VCH) data collected by the Techstream system.

This system records data similar to the vehicle’s Event Data Recorder but usually records a longer span of time and may even include timestamps and photographs taken by the vehicle!

Some events that trigger the recording of Toyota VCH include:

  • Sudden Braking

  • Rapid Accelerator Pedal Application

  • Sudden Turning

  • Antilock Brake System (ABS) Activation

  • Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) Activation

  • Autonomous Emergency Braking Activation

  • and more.

 

Warning: Toyota Vch data may be short lived!

Remember, this data is recorded by common daily driving events - not crashes. The most commonly recorded events, like sudden brake or accelerator applications, can be quickly overwritten if the vehicle is still being driven.