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CTL Engineering, Inc.
An Employee Owned Company |
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Spring Issue 2007 Newsletter
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Vehicle Black Box Downloads Big Brother may be watching if you are ever in a vehicular accident, and that Big Brother could be Hal Dunham or Greg DuBois, Forensic Engineers in the Columbus office. Both Hal and Greg are trained and experienced at downloading information from event data recorders (black boxes) installed in vehicles involved in collisions. The data is stored into memory when the airbags are deployed and/or an impact occurs. The information obtained from the black boxes has proven useful in the reconstruction of many vehicular accidents. While nearly all late model cars and pickup trucks store vital information about the vehicle immediately before a crash, the data can be downloaded only from some vehicles. This includes most GM vehicles since 1999 and most Ford vehicles built beginning with the 2000 model year. Most other car manufacturers use proprietary systems and treat the information as if it were a matter of national security. However, it is expected that the information will be available from more manufacturers in the future. Information available varies but frequently includes data about the vehicle’s speed, the change in speed from the impact, engine rpm’s, brake application and seatbelt usage for 5 seconds before the impact. In a recent case, a pickup truck was T-boned by a car after it pulled into a 4-way, rural intersection. The pickup truck had a stop sign while the car had the right of way. An analysis of the data from the pickup truck collected every second for five seconds before the impact showed that the driver slowed from 32 mph to 21 mph as he approached the stop sign, then accelerated back up to 24 mph before he was struck. It was apparent that the pickup truck driver never stopped before entering the intersection.
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In some cases it is necessary to connect directly into the black box instead of the data link connector. The black boxes are frequently installed under the carpeting beneath either the driver’s or passenger seat or under the carpet on the tunnel between the two seats. Either way, the data is downloaded onto a laptop for subsequent analysis. The photo to the right shows a download being performed directly from the data link connector under the dashboard of a pickup truck involved in a head-on collision. Laws and policies regarding obtaining downloads from vehicles involved in crashes are being considered in many states. Currently, Ohio and its surrounding states have not enacted any statutes on the subject. Remember, drive safely, obey the speed limit and always wear your seatbelt. We’ll be watching! |
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[Message from the President] [Message from the CFO]
[Cleveland Office Installs a New Break Machine] [Vehicle Black Box Downloads]
[CTL's New Hires] [Newsletter]