Modern event data recorders (EDRs) can provide useful information regarding vehicle incidents. EDR information, when used in conjunction with the available physical information, can greatly assist accident analysis and field performance evaluation. This additional source promotes more accurate understanding of crashes, which in turn advances vehicle safety research, and investigations.
This paper analyzes the performance of Toyota's EDR, focusing on pre-crash data (vehicle speed, engine speed, brake switch status, and accelerator pedal position sensor #1 voltage) and certain other parameters (front seat belt buckle switch status, driver seat track position, right front occupant status, and gear shift position). The EDR pre-crash data was compared to the data on the High Speed Controller Area Network (HS-CAN) data during eleven test conditions. Multiple static and dynamic driving situations ranging from 0 to 96 km/h were investigated in three different Toyota vehicle models and are reported herein. Impact events were simulated by directly impacting the airbag control module to initiate the recording of an event. Version 4.1 of the Bosch Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) System software and hardware was utilized to image the EDR and report the EDR recordings.
The eleven test conditions, for the three models that were evaluated, indicated that the Toyota EDR was recording the data accurately.