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Event Data Recorder (EDR) Links: 		 
 

The following links are offered as resources pertaining to current EDR and other related information.

EDR CASE LAW :
 EDR data has been admitted successfully in many criminal and civil proceedings. Data was excluded in one case because it could not be proven that it was from the event of interest due to a discrepancy between the key cycles at event and the key cycles at the time of readout. In another case, the court said that the data could not be used as evidence alone without expert testimony to validate or interpret it. The court has stricken some purported experts as not being experts. See the October 2007 decision by the Massachusetts Court of Appeals upholding admissibility of EDR evidence.
A list of known cases contributed by the engineers who worked on them or became aware of them is maintained by Jim Harris, of Harris Technical Services. This list is not represented to be a complete list, it is only as good as the diligence of the contributors, but is the best reference list that I am aware of. The links below are to the Harris site.
        EDR Case Law
        State Statutes

NEW NHTSA EDR RULE:
 Highlights: Light vehicles built after Sept. 2012 must comply with 49 CFR Part 563 , which states it if any one of the items in Table 1 is recorded then they all must be recorded and in accordance with the requirements in Table 1 and Table III. If the manufacturer records any data element in Table II then it must be recorded in accordance with the requirements in Table II and Table III. The recorder must survive in NHTSA’s 30mph barrier crash. The manufacturer must release the ability to read the data publicly within 90 days of the first public sale of the vehicle. The manufacturer may specify the readout procedure. The NHTSA rule does not technically require a manufacturer to have an EDR, you can technically comply by having no EDR data of any kind. However, NHTSA estimated that 65 to 90% of all manufacturers have some kind of an EDR in new vehicles already which would imply the vast majority of vehicles will have EDR's that must comply with the new rule for 2013 model year.

The link below takes you to the complete rule. The rule is 207 pages long. The beginning part states NHTSA’s rationale for the rule and discusses at great length the comments received to the 2004 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The actual rules do not start until Page 187 with the vehicle requirements starting on page 196. The original rule published in 2006 had a Sept. 2010 effective date, it was modified in January 2008 to have a Sept. 2012 effective date in response to manufacturer petitions for reconsideration. Manufacturers have petitioned for additional delays but as of Oct. 2009 NHTSA had not responded to those.
      www.nhtsa.gov

ASSOCIATION PETITION:
The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) petition of some aspects of the 2006 rule can be accessed below:
      EDR petition

BOSCH CRASH DATA RETRIEVAL SYSTEM:
The equipment to read passenger vehicle Event Data Recorders was formerly known as the Vetronix Crash Data Retrieval System. Vetronix was acquired by Bosch several years ago, and effective January 2008 the equipment was rebranded as the Bosch Crash Data Retrieval System. Approximately 30% of the vehicles on the road, and about 50% of all new vehicles, are supported by the Bosch tool – including most GM products since 1994, some selected 2001 and later Ford products, and some Chrysler vehicles 2005 and later. The list of vehicles which are already publicly supported can be viewed at the Bosch Diagnostics website at the link below. Other manufacturers are expected to partner with Bosch and the remainder will be required in the future by NHTSA to release the ability to read their data to at least one publicly available provider.  
      Bosch Supported Vehicles List
  
 

FORD VEHICLES NOT CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY BOSCH:
Under some circumstances Ford may be willing to download EDR’s for Ford vehicles that are not supported by Bosch. Please contact me for a free consultation, and if your case is likely to meet Ford’s criteria, I will email you the Ford contact information. Some modules may also be in the middle of the release process, and there may be a beta test version of the Bosch software that covers the model that is not yet publicly available. I may have access to the beta test version. Bosch currently does not permit distribution of reports from beta software outside the tester community, but the information can be summarized. Any module read with beta software should be re-read with production software when it becomes available before being used in court. Beta readouts are primarily useful in the case assessment phase. During our initial consultation I will advise you of your options and recommend the option most likely to produce results in the timeframe you need.

OTHER VEHICLES NOT CURRENTLY SUPPORTED BY BOSCH:
Some additional manufacturers are currently going through the release process with Bosch. Sometimes there may be a beta test version available to selected Bosch trainers such as myself that could work on your vehicle. If the vehicle you are interested in is not currently supported by Bosch, it does not mean that there is not any data available. Many manufacturers have data in recent models but do not readily acknowledge it. Some manufacturers will respond to a properly fashioned discovery request from legal counsel or law enforcement. I may be able to assist you in how to fashion your request to be more likely to get a response. Contact me for a free consultation.

CDR Operator/Analyst Training:
Richard R. Ruth, P.E. is an adjunct instructor for the class “Event Data Recorder Use in Traffic Accident Reconstruction” offered by the Institute of Police Technology and Management, a division of the University of North Florida. You can view the class schedule at IPTM’s website. Police agencies can request contract classes at their location that are not typically shown on the website. If you are interested in a contract class contact Tony Becker at beckercrash@comcast.net (309-825-0927). The IPTM 5 day class covers most of the same material as the Collision Safety Institute training, but is geared specifically to law enforcement reconstructionists. As of this writing the IPTM course differs from the CSI course in that the IPTM course includes 4 hrs training in the salvage yard on back powering, and tuition includes a back powering kit. Back powering is not part of the CSI hardware use class, CSI teaches that in a separate advanced class. Other IPTM advantages are listed in the attached documnet IPTM ADVANTAGES.

A 3 day update class is under development for agencies that have experienced major accident investigation teams that use CDR regularly and only need updated information:
  IPTM Schedule:   www.iptm.org/Schedule.aspx

You can get the latest official Bosch information on CDR and latest software downloads at: 
 • CDR Equipment Description: Bosch Diagnostics

You can purchase Bosch CDR equipment directly from Bosch by contacting Steve Laffie at: steven.laffie@us.bosch.com
(805) 880-9213

Robert Bosch LLC
Diagnostics Business Unit
2040 Alameda Padre Serra, Suite 220
Santa Barbara, CA 93103 USA
www.boschdiagnostics.com
Toll Free: (800) 321-4889 Ext 9213

 or by contacting their distributor:
The Crash Data Group, Scott Baker at www.cdr-system.com

Get the Latest Information fromcutting edge CDR users and presenters at:
 • Collision Publishing

Access NHTSA’s EDR research information site

View the NHTSA EDR Rules at:
www.regulations.gov  (original rule docket in 2006)

View the Docket for Response to Petitions for Reconsideration in 2008

Call Ruth Consulting: (313) 910-5809 or   Send Email

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