Automobile technology could make it easier to collect information about car accidents

When an individual is involved in a car accident, he or she has the right to seek compensation for injuries and losses and to hold the responsible party or parties accountable. In building a strong case for liability, it is critical for an accident victim to firmly establish a basis in fact for the defendant’s liability, and this means getting as much and as accurate information as possible about the crash.

There are several potential ways of gaining information about a car accident, including providing testimony about the incident and obtaining the testimony of witnesses. In some cases, surveillance cameras will capture footage from an accident. Nowadays, smartphones or other dash cameras may also capture footage. In addition, data may also be gathered from event data recorders, which are internal automobile devices that provide information about a vehicle at the time of a crash. 

In addition to these avenues of gathering information, there may also be the ability to obtain information from the car manufacturer. Cars which connect to the Internet are able to gather a great deal of information about what the driver was doing prior to the accident. That information could potentially prove helpful in establishing liability in personal injury litigation.

At present, it isn’t clear whether drivers themselves own data gathered by connected vehicles. Under federal law, drivers do own the data stored in event data recorders, and both police officers and insurance companies need either the driver’s consent or a court order to obtain that information. It has yet to be determined whether the same requirement will apply for connected vehicle data.

The issue is bound to become more significant as more and more vehicles make use of Internet connectivity. The important thing for car accident victims, of course, is to always work with an experienced attorney to effectively navigate these and other issue in the legal process and to build the strongest possible case for liability.