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A NEW DIRECTION IN AUTO CLAIMS Inside the World of developed them because it needed not only to make a Event Data Recorders safer automobile, but to defend itself in cases of "he said/she said" litigation. By Lou Stanley If a hits a tree, the standard EDR data will The initial EDR technology reflect the exact speed of the car/tree impact, accelerated into the public Fraud fighters are constantly looking for the acceleration or deceleration for a number eye during the years of new approaches to old problems and old of seconds before and just after impact, if the phantom acceleration approaches to new problems. Within the foot was on the brake or still on the gas, and claims against Toyota and realm of automobile claims, a sister industry many other items of fact. Imagine a very pre- has progressed since has developed and implemented a tool that cise, multi-second, looping device that that time. may have a huge impact on the future of records and saves data at each and every trig- insurance claims handling. gering incident. It's just that simple. Now, with the technology exactly as it is, an EDR read- The Crash Data Retrieval (CDR Tool) is a Using this real world data, government can out will provide technical combination of hardware and software that develop more effective occupant protection vehicle and occupant infor- The inner workings of an Control Module reads the crash data found in a vehicles’ and motor vehicle safety programs and man- mation for a short amount of Event Data Recorder (EDR). The EDR, a ufacturers can collect information with which time just prior to an event, during an event, learning to use this evolving tool. So far, the name coined by the National Highway they can improve vehicle safety in a crash and for a brief period after an event. We are feedback has been promising, and the positive Transportation Safety Administration event, thereby enhancing safety in future gen- talking about seconds, not minutes, of data results are beginning to accumulate. capture. It’s enough data for an insurance claims adjuster/fraud investigator to get a The considerations of a trial program fairly good portrayal of what actually hap- include: pened. Witnesses disagree because they must depend on perception and accurate recall to Standardization -- While the majority of define an incident. But EDR technology is vehicles now on our highways have EDRs, indisputable. Raw data is just that ... raw data. there was never any absolute standardiza- tion between EDR reporting methods. EDR The EDR may record pre-crash vehicle data is proprietary to each auto manufactur- dynamics and system status, driver inputs, er. Ford has its version; Toyota has another restraint usage/deployment status, and post- version; and Honda, still another. What is crash data, such as activation of an automat- different now? NHTSA has issued a regula- ic collision notification system. And while tion to standardize the data collected and we instantly think of the airplane's infamous recorded by an EDR. Beginning with the black box as a comparison, there are major model year 2013, NHTSA defined the min- differences. The black box on a plane imum data set (15 items) that must be col- records everything about the flight for the lected if a manufacturer decides to volun- entire duration. An EDR System, on the tarily install an EDR in its vehicle lines, Rusty Haight in a 15 mph crash from the 2010 ARC/CSI Crash Conference other hand, only records seconds of informa- along with requirements for the range of tion. The airplane's black box also records accuracy of EDR data. Additionally, as of (NHTSA), was developed to obtain the infor- erations of vehicles. Collected data can pro- sound; the EDR unit does not. EDR readouts 2014, it is proposed that any new car sold in mation needed to reduce deaths, injuries, and vide valuable information on the severity of just give us technological details via num- the United States must be equipped with an property damage due to vehicle crashes on the crash, operation of the air bag, and what bers and measurements; none yet, at least as EDR. This also applies to foreign manufac- the nation’s highways. EDRs give govern- deployment decision strategies were used far as we know, include a voice clip, "Honey, turers; if you sell the vehicle in the united ment researchers and investigators informa- during the event. EDRs are working for them slow down before you hit that .... SPLAT." States, it'r got to have an onboard EDR. tion with which they can assess motor vehi- just like they were intended to do. Period. Since the designs are proprietary, cles crashes in real world events with real many manufacturers have significantly people. So even though it was developed for What aspects of this event data is of value TRUE LIFE EXAMPLE NUMBER TWO added to those minimum data points one purpose, it's a valuable tool for another to insurers? Some of the collected data defined by NHTSA. Items of measurement purpose. Claims investigations. points include any change in forward crash Adjuster: Ms. Jillian, you reported that are continually being added to the units, speed, the maximum change in forward you were driving Mr. Osborne's 2010 limited only by cost and imagination. Think of an EDR as a vehicle's "little black crash speed, the time from the beginning of Corvette, that had no insurance coverage, box"; one that is designed and programmed to the crash at which the maximum change in on the night of June 24th. Mr. Osborne Cost of Equipment -- If Gigantic record pure data -- making EDRs a valuable forward crash speed occurs, whether the was in the passenger seat because he was Insurance Company (GIC) has 10 region- objective tool in our arsenal. Sensors located gas pedal was pressed and whether the too inebriated to drive. al claims processing centers, the trial pro- throughout the vehicle feed information back brake was applied, whether the driver’s seat gram shopping cart would look like this. to the ‘brains,’ or electronic control units belt was buckled before the crash, whether MJ: That's right. But I have full coverage Two regions (Atlanta serving the Eastern (ECUs), contained within the vehicles Air the air bag worked correctly, etc. Under on my owned vehicle, so it extends to USA and Los Angeles serving the Western Bag Control Module (ACM),which is typical- specific conditions the EDR will also anything I drive, right? USA) would each own one top-of-the-line ly found in a fairly well protected area, e.g. record the following information: sideways Premium EDR Tool (approximately under the driver’s seat, the center console, or acceleration or force, forward or rearward Adjuster: Yes, that's correct. $10,000 each). Satellite claims personnel; any other ‘safe’ and protected location. acceleration or force, vertical acceleration twenty four on each side of the country, or force, engine RPMs, whether the vehicle MJ: (Smiling) forty eight in total would each get a basic rolled over, steering wheel operation five EDR Tool, currently priced just under TRUE LIFE EXAMPLE NUMBER ONE seconds before the crash, and a host of Adjuster: (Looking at EDR report). The $3,000 each. (Both commercially avail- other items you can check out in the tables responding officers noted that you were able units can take the EDR data snap- Adjuster: Policyholder Phillips, I'm here near the end of this article. sitting in the driver's seat and Mr. shots. Premium kits contain additional to look at the damage to your 2006 Toyota Osborne was in the passenger seat; how- cables to take the EDR data snapshots Camry. Flash backward 45 years to the insurance ever, the EDR data shows that the driver’s from more seriously damaged vehicles.) world in the late sixties A Midwest insurer, seat was pushed all the way back for a EDR tool hardware is purchased one time PP: Yeah, like I reported on the phone, it at the top of its game, bought a Honeywell taller person at the time of impact, and the with an annual software renewal required was fine when I parked it last night; but 58 computer -- so technologically advanced passenger seat was pushed all the forward to keep up with manufacturer changes and this morning there was all this damage! that it allowed a machine to type policies for a shorter person in the passenger seat. data reporting abilities. Add in the cost of Some hit and run driver must have crashed with amazing speed, while, at the same You are less than five feet tall and could training and the cost to deliver that train- into it during the middle of the night while time, generating billings to individual not safely operate the vehicle with the ing to those so designated, and GIC is up it was parked in front of my house. agents. Even more spectacular, in July 1969, seat in that full rearward position. How and running for an amount that could con- a pilot named Michael Collins flew the do you explain that? ceivably be less than one serious fraudu- Adjuster: (Opening the Door.) No prob- Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon -- using lent claim. After that, it's all uphill. lem. I'm just going to take a quick read some of that same astounding computer MJ: (No longer smiling) What's an EDR? from the EDR. technology that so amazed those watching Application -- GIC's 50 units would be in that Honeywell spit out policies. In the OOPS. constant use. Capturing the data is not rock- PP: What's an EDR? I never heard of intervening 45 years, that initial technology et science. The readout is, in effect, just one those before. has evolved to the point that every Apple It is estimated that approximately 64% of more witness statement, untarnished by iPhone carrying teenager has more comput- vehicles had EDR capability during the year memory ability, interpretation or any other Adjuster: An Event Data Recorder. Gee, er power in his/her pocket than was used to 2005. And each year, that percentage has human variable. this says that the seat belts were buckled make the 239,000-mile trip to the moon. increased. This data is there for the using. and the car was being driven at 32 mph at Yes, really. Were we at the tip of the comput- There are commercially available tools that Recognition of Value -- The old adage, "A impact, braking from 55 mph a few sec- er iceberg in 1969? Likewise, are we now read and report EDR data. What is involved in picture is worth a thousand words" has lost onds before the crash.. Are you sure the at the tip of the EDR iceberg? implementing it into the general claims adjust- much of its luster with the march of technol- vehicle was parked? ing system? At least three major insurers are ogy -- at least a visual image. To be clear; in There is nothing new about EDRs. The currently running trials with EDR readers to the case of EDR, there are no actual pictures. OOPS. automobile manufacturing industry initially ascertain the cost savings they could realize by An EDR report is an objective printout of

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During most staged crashes, Rusty wears a TRUE LIFE EXAMPLE NUMBER chest plate, which serves to spread the force THREE exerted on his body from the . In the 15-mph crash, he left the plate behind -- and Adjuster: Ms. Smith, you reported that while he suffered mightily, the pictures were your son was driving your husband’s 2009 all telling. In slow motion, two things were Toyota Tundra and the side air curtains very evident. First, instead of the anticipat- deployed on their own. Your son had said ed back/forth flexion extension, Rusty went you that he had no idea how that hap- up off of his seat and then rolled over the pened and you thought the may seat belt in a left torque. See the "Ask have a defect in it and want to file a claim Doctor Bob" column in this issue for the to repair the vehicle and consider legal expected biomechanical stressors vs. the action against the manufacture. actual biomechanical stressors. Even the old pros learned a thing or two; Rusty included. Ms Smith: That's right. The truck's air bags going off unexpectedly could have EDRs trace their roots to the installation of caused a serious accident and hurt my air bags in vehicles. For air bags to operate son, or worse. properly in the event of a crash, automobile manufacturers developed control units to Adjuster: Yes, that would be unfortunate. detect when a crash occurs and deploy the air bag if needed. Even the earliest EDR Ms. Smith: Ok then, what are you going rollover into a Fiat X/19 from the 2012 ARC/CSI Crash Conference technology involved "thinking" units, albeit to do about it? (Smiling) in a somewhat primeval form. (Input: big the crash data (or, consider, the lack of data Seeing is believing. A car traveling at 15 impact. Result: deploy !). As the air Adjuster: (After imaging the truck and if there was no measurable impact) and has mph, straight into a concrete barrier, has near bag control units became more sophisticat- looking at EDR report). The EDR data withstood legal challenges because it rises violent results for the properly belted driver. ed, automobile designers realized data col- shows the vehicle was actually involved above speculation. Courts can subpoena Any variation in vector can change the lected from the control units could be used in what it thought was going to be a roll EDR data through court orders, and some expected pattern of injury. Two , each to further improve air bag design. To collect over, deploying the side curtain air bags States collect data under their existing State traveling head-on at 15 mph, have combined these data points, designers increased the to protect the occupants. The truck speed laws governing crash investigations. Some velocity -- and injuries increase accordingly. functionally of the air bag control unit to was constant at 66 mph and there was no permit storage of the data after a crash so it attempt to stop the truck. It appears that could be downloaded and analyzed later. the truck may have gone for a rough joy They also learned to store events that were ride that ultimately deployed the air bags. significant enough to register, but not signif- Are you sure you wish to proceed with a icant enough to deploy the airbag. claim? Automatic collision notification (ACN) Ms. Smith: (No longer smiling) I believe systems and EDRs are separate functions. I need to have a talk with my son. ACN is a system that can automatically notify a third party (such as a 911 operator OOPS. or a call center) when a car is involved in a collision. Some cars and light have ACN devices, such as GM’s On- Star™ system. Some of these systems use data NEW EMERGING APPLICATIONS from the EDR to determine crash severity, thereby helping to ensure an appropriate While EDR reports have been widely used level of medical response. Technology by law enforcement and the accident recon- allows the ambulance to be summoned struction communities, there is currently a 54 mph barrier test from the 2013 ARC/CSI Crash Conference even if the driver is upside down in a ditch push to involve EDR reporting in the used and unconscious. car and fleet management industries to help insurance policies may have contract terms related to data collection from EDRs. Nearly 100 court cases have used EDR data in the proceedings, showing a willingness to allow TABLE I – DATA ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR ALL VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN EDR EDR data entered as evidence. DATA ELEMENT LAYMAN’S DESCRIPTION RECORDING INTERVAL / Data Sample Rate TIME1 Samples per Second Right to Accessibility -- Who owns the (Relative to time zero) information collected by an EDR? Can the Delta-V, longitudinal Change in forward crash speed 0 to 250 ms 100 government, insurance investigators or Maximum delta-V, longitudinal Maximum change in forward 0-300 ms n.a. police just waltz in and download the data? crash speed Ownership of the EDR and its data is a mat- Time, maximum delta-V Time from beginning of crash 0-300 ms n.a. ter of state law, and such provisions vary at which the maximum change considerably. NHTSA considers the owner in forward crash speed occurs of the vehicle to be the owner of the data col- Speed, vehicle indicated Speed the vehicle was traveling -5.0 to 0 sec 2 lected from an EDR. The owner can give Engine throttle, % full (or Was the accelerator pedal -5.0 to 0 sec 2 permission to download EDR data or courts accelerator pedal, % full) pressed? can subpoena EDR data. Big city police Service brake, on/off Was the brake applied? -5.0 to 0 sec 2 agencies and Highway Patrol units that use Ignition cycle, crash Number of times the engine -1.0 sec n.a. the EDR tool collect data under their exist- had been started since being ing state laws governing crash investiga- manufactured prior to the crash. tions. For crash investigations conducted by Ignition cycle, download Number of times the engine At time of download n.a. NHTSA, the agency obtains permission had been started since being from the vehicle owner before downloading manufactured prior to the EDR data. Up-to-date policy language downloading the EDR data. includes contract terms related to data col- Safety belt status, driver Was the driver safety belt -1.0 sec n.a. lection from EDRs. buckled 1 second prior to the crash? Once a year, late in the spring, the Las Vegas Frontal air bag warning lamp, Was the air bag system -1.0 sec n.a. Speedway comes to life in a whole different on/off properly working 1 second prior way. An estimated 200 accident reconstruc- to the crash? tion specialists arrive to witness the latest Frontal air bag deployment, time Time from the beginning of the Event n.a. antics (insanity being far too harsh of a to deploy, in the case of a single crash at which the driver air word) of Rusty Haight, best described as the stage air bag, or time to first bag begins to deploy. human crash dummy. Rusty, at last count, stage deployment, in the case of was within near striking distance (no pun a multi-stage air bag, driver intended) of hitting (again) the 1,000 crash Frontal air bag deployment, time Time from the beginning of the Event n.a. mark. Those who know him well were said to deploy, in the case of a single crash at which the right front to be placing sideline wagers on what that stage air bag, or time to first passenger air bag begins to 1,000th crash would look like. stage deployment, in the case of deploy. a multi-stage air bag, right front During the course of staged crashes, the passenger series of donated automobiles, trucks, and Multi-event, number of events How many crash events? 1 or Event n.a (this year) even a bus, have cameras installed (1,2) 2? E.g., sideswipe followed by on the inside -- to allow a slow motion view a head-on crash of the body's movement upon impact -- and Time from event 1 to 2 Time between two crash As needed n.a. placed at strategic outside locations -- to events (if applicable) show, again in slow motion, the sometimes Complete file recorded (yes, no) Did the EDR complete the Following other data n.a. spectacular crumbling of the vehicles. recording?

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improve the transparency of PREDICTION TIME the vehicle being offered for sale and close the gap in vehi- What does the future hold for EDR technol- cle history reporting. A typi- ogy? The majority of vehicles on the roads cal scenario would be to get -- and thus the majority of vehicles involved the EDR data from a vehicle in claims -- are equipped with the units. being brought in for a trade-in Objective information is at our fingertips, or lease return to get a true some with the potential to replace conflict- representation of the vehicles ing witness statements, assist in lengthy condition. An EDR report court battles, determine true liability, and may help analyze the vehicle take the guess work out of many accident safety systems along with ver- scenarios. Major carriers have already gone ification that there are no unre- to computer aided adjusting (while still ported stored events that may retaining the human element); it may be just degrade the vehicles safety a matter of time before EDRs become rou- systems or the vehicle itself. tine underwriting and claims tools. Again, while the system was initially developed for one pur- EDR tool hardware is purchased one time 38 mph crash into a fully instrumented ambulance from the 2012 ARC/CSI Crash Conference pose, could not the same tech- with an annual software renewal required to nology become an integral keep up with manufacturer changes and data aspect of new policy underwriting? reporting abilitiesIt took more than 40 years to get from Honeywells to I-phones. It's ADDITIONAL INFORMATION going to be far less time to get from the claims world of today to the the claims world Many States are considering legislation to of ten years from now. regulate EDR disclosure, data ownership, and other privacy concerns. Some States Our thanks to the Crash Data Group for their have already passed such laws. State assistance in gathering the material to write Attorney-General’s offices can provide this article and for supplying the photo- information on any State regulations affect- graphs and information charts provided. For ing EDRs. more information, see their web site at http://www.cdr-system.com/ or call 800- Those interested in additional information 280-7940. and research about EDRs can examine the NHTSA EDR web site at: http://www- nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/edr-site/index.html High speed 42 mph head-on crash from the 2010 ARC/CSI Crash Conference

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