LEOMINSTER -- Two weeks ago, state police released the "black-box" data from the Nov. 2 crash of Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray's state-owned 2007 Ford Crown Victoria, showing some of the data contradicted his initial story.
Murray was not wearing his seat belt as he had claimed. And while he had originally said he was driving "around the speed limit" before hitting a patch of black ice, the data showed he was traveling 108 mph at the time of the crash. Investigators said the data suggested Murray had fallen asleep at the wheel.
Airplanes have long had "black-box" flight recorders (they're actually orange) to help investigators learn what happened before a crash. Now most new cars record crash data, but local police said last week they rarely access that information, citing a combination of equipment costs and reliance on other ways to reconstruct crashes.
Sgt. Richard Kinney, supervisor of the Leominster police traffic unit, said his department chooses not to have the equipment to access onboard computer systems for crash reconstruction. He said some larger police departments have it, but Leominster is too small to justify the expense.
There is no universal standard, so different car companies have different shapes for the cables that access the information. Some companies, such as BMW, do not record black-box data at all.
When Leominster police do need to access crash data, Kinney said they outsource the task to the state police.
Officer Paul McNamara of the Fitchburg police traffic division said the department relies on "traditional reconstruction."
He said most people in the city drive vehicles from the late 1990s or early 2000s that don't record crash data, and it's rare that they need the information.
McNamara said when they do have a crash that needs more info, they get a warrant for the information and get assistance from the state police.
"This doesn't replace traditional investigations; it just enhances it," he said.
McNamara said there's been crashed vehicles too badly burnt to get any information from the onboard computers.
Lt. Tim Crowley, who supervises the Lowell police traffic-enforcement division, said the department has the equipment to get the crash data from vehicles.
Crowley said the equipment costs $3,000 to $5,000 for each automobile manufacturer and the department has to pay a software-subscription fee of about $1,000 every three years.
"Downloading information is relatively simple, but interpreting the information can be difficult," said Crowley. He said Lowell police still concentrate on details like damage, vehicle position and skid marks.
Different companies record different details around the crash. Crowley said Ford records the speed 15 seconds before airbags deploy and five seconds after. Other companies give a little more or a little less of a window.
Besides speed, the data can include acceleration, if seat belts were engaged, airbag deployment and if the brakes were used.
"It's very useful in accident reconstruction," said Crowley. He said the information can be very handy if the people involved in the accident are unable to provide information, such as in a severe or fatal crash, or if there's conflicting information.
He said the information can be hard to get. Some crashed vehicles no longer have any electricity, he said, and investigators have to bring a spare battery to power the onboard computer.
Fitchburg attorney Ed Howard said he hasn't used the black-box data as evidence in a case and isn't aware of any attorney who has.
"It may be more useful in criminal cases than civil ones," said Howard. He said the information could be helpful in a case where the police's accident reconstruction contradicts what he believes happened.
Leonard Haley, an auto-technology instructor at Leominster High's Center for Technical Education, said the term "black box" when referring to automobiles is a misnomer.
"There is no actual black box," Haley said.
He said event data recorders that save details around a crash are a component of some onboard computer systems in today's vehicles, but not a separate unit.
Haley said modern automotive students have to be computer-savvy to keep up with all the computer components incorporated into automobiles these days. He said computers were first put in automobiles in the early 1980s, and now some vehicles have as many as 60 different computers onboard that control processes like transmission, fuel injection and guidance.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has declared that all automobiles that have event-data recorders manufactured after August 2011 make the data available to police upon request.
Follow Michael Hartwell at Twitter.com/SEHartwell or Facebook.com/MichaelHartwell .
Copyright 2012 MediaNews Group, Inc.All Rights Reserved
