First published guide to assist engineers and investigators to obtain and interpret "black box" data from vehicles for safety and accident related systems.

More accurate assessments of land vehicle accident conditions can be made with the use of this new joint ASTM/SAE publication, which provides users guidance on obtaining and interpreting "black box" data.

Technological advances in non-volatile electronic data storage have enabled increasingly sophisticated information, to be gathered from automobiles and trucks involved in highway accidents. This electronically saved data, regarding issues such as: engine fuel management (EFI), antilock braking systems (ABS), automatic traction control (ATC), cruise control (CC), air bags (SRS), and seat belt tensioners (ETR) will be an immense aid to land vehicle investigators attempting to determine vehicle conditions before and during an accident.

Originally intended to assist repair, not necessarily investigation, stored data has been saved in several different formats and the ability to now obtain a set of data will be extremely useful to investigators.

Also included is information on where and how to find various data parameters and how to interpret and combine them so their sum can present a vehicle condition overview that can provide significant additional information—when compared to traditional post-accident mechanical analysis techniques. Discussion also covers mathematical structures, basic Newtonian physics, and basic electronic circuits. These elements are then integrated into several case studies.