Watch Out: Black Boxes Know What Happens in a Car Accident

Many times car accidents happen and there are no independent witnesses to explain who caused the crash. Usually those cases are handled on a “he said – she said” basis, pitting the two drivers’ words against one another. However, what many drivers are unaware of is that many vehicle manufacturers have placed event data recorders, known as black boxes, in their cars and trucks.

The vehicle black boxes provide attorneys and accident reconstruction experts with detailed information about the movements of a vehicle just before an accident happens. With such information, including, the speed of a vehicle, whether the gas or brake was being pushed, and what direction the car was moving, the battle of words is becoming a thing of the past in personal injury litigation. While vehicles are constantly monitoring this data, only once an air bag deploys, does the black box actually keep this information.

The information on the black boxes, once difficult to retrieve, has become increasingly accessible. In fact, various companies specialize in downloading this crash data information. Not surprisingly, insurance companies love to access the information, not only to see if their driver was a fault, but also to give themselves a reason to raise that person’s premiums if they caused the accident.

We remind all Florida drivers that if you are unfortunately involved in a car accident, be cautious about describing how the accident happened; many times, something else knows too much.