UK and EU laws governing the accessibility of vehicle Event Data Recorder (EDR) evidence needs updating, according to the global centre for innovation in transport, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).
TRL says EDR data must be available to authorities, insurers and road safety researchers to improve safety, speed up legal proceedings and save lives.
EDRs were introduced in the 1970s and are present in most new vehicles today. EDR is the equivalent of a black box that records a range of data from safety systems fitted to the vehicle in the seconds before, during and after a collision.
EDR data helps provide accurate and reliable information on the actions taken in the pre-collision phase.
Currently in the UK and EU, manufacturers are not required to provide EDR data to authorities, road safety researchers or even vehicle owners. TRL is now calling for updates to be made where the accessibility of EDR data is restricted due to a lack of up-to-date legislation.
