An Introduction to the Forensic Acquisition and Analysis of Mobile Device Data for Accident Reconstruction

Mobile devices have become ubiquitous in modern society, and the data they store has become increasingly valuable in the field of accident reconstruction. Today's mobile devices continuously capture data about our behaviors and interactions. This paper delves into the methods of acquiring data from mobile devices, such as smartphones, and examines how this data can be utilized to reconstruct vehicular accidents, particularly those involving distracted driving. The types of data that can be extracted, including call logs, text messages, app usage history, device activity, and location data, are explored in detail. Finally, a case study is presented in which various device events are examined and location data acquired from a mobile device is compared to independent Global Positioning System (GPS) instrumentation to analyze the accuracy of the retrieved data.