Collection and analysis of EDR data from crash-involved vehicles: 2020-21 summary report

Abstract

Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are installed in many modern vehicles. EDRs constantly record vehicle variables such as speed, seatbelt usage, accelerator/brake pedal position, delta V and safety system deployment. When a crash occurs, a snapshot of the final few seconds of the vehicle variables are saved on the EDR. In 2017, CASR established a data collection process whereby a large number of crash-involved vehicles could be accessed regularly from a single location (an auction yard) and the EDR data downloaded. Additionally, the South Australian Police Major Crash unit provided EDR data to CASR, downloaded from vehicles involved in investigated serious crashes. In the period June 2019 to June 2021, CASR successfully retrieved EDR data from 416 crashed vehicles, of which 316 (76.0%) had associated police vehicle collision reports. This collection has contributed to a current total of 729 EDR records with 558 (72.1%) matched to police reports, over three years of data collection; 531 from the auction yard and 27 from Major Crash. In the sample of cases collected by CASR from the auction yard, 25% of bullet (striking) vehicles, and 38% of free speed vehicles were found to be speeding. The rate of seatbelt wearing for front seat occupants in the sample was 96.5%. A case study involving a head-on collision with a vehicle travelling 20 km/h over the road speed limit has been included to demonstrate the information available in the CASR EDR database.