An event data recorder (EDR) is a means of recording certain information about what a vehicle experienced immediately prior to a collision (also known as a triggering event).

EDRs are increasingly fitted to modern vehicles, where in certain circumstances they can record up to 10 seconds worth of data, which may include vehicle speed, engine speed, brake pedal and accelerator pedal depression, forces and more.

Returning to the main question, how long does EDR data last on a car, there are generally three possible answers:

-           EDR data will be kept indefinitely,

-           EDR data will be deleted after a defined number of key turns (car key),

-           EDR data will be deleted after a defined number of engine starts.

The time data is retained will depend entirely on the vehicles manufacturer and how they have set their EDR up. Where you believe that EDR data may form part of either a civil or criminal case, it is crucial that you access that EDR crash data as soon as possible.

Accessing the EDR crash data as soon as possible, gives you the best chance of accessing and recovering the data. The longer it is left, the less likely you are to be able to recover the data.

That is not to say that data cannot be recovered, as we have recovered data from vehicles six months after the crash date.

If you would like any advice with regards to EDR crash data recovery, contact Driven Forensics today. Our initial advice is free and we can explore what data might be available and how best to recover it.

Email: enquiry@drivenforensics.co.uk (preferred)

Phone: 0113 534 8708