Almost everyone has heard about investigators searching for the “black box” after a plane crash.  What few people know is that many vehicles on the road today have similar capabilities.  That could change.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced yesterday that, beginning with year 2011 models, manufacturers will have to disclose the existence of black box technology in their vehicles. 

Almost 65% of the 2005 model year vehicles included black boxes.  These boxes typically collect the speed of the vehicle, whether brakes were applied, whether airbags deployed, whether signal devices were used, and the Delta V (or change in velocity) of the vehicle at a point of collision. 

There are numerous philosophical discussions about the use of black box technology and whether it infringes on the public’s right to privacy.  Regardless of those debates, black box investigation has become very popular in serious vehicle collision cases where the cause of the wreck is controverted.  The data is particularly helpful when the victim is killed and not able to controvert the other driver’s version of the wreck.  

Unfortunately, the data in black box recorders can be written over if not timely retrieved.  Therefore, it is critical to quickly contact an attorney or expert so a qualified person can retrieve the data while it is still there.