MSC to Host CDR User Training Classes in December 2012 (CDR Version 8.0 & Newly Covered Vehicles)

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
MSC

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants (MSC) will host the CDR Systems Operators Class and the CDR Analysis and Applications Class on December 3 – 7, 2012, at The Accelerator at Southern Miss, which is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The classes will be taught by instructors Brad Muir and Jon Northrup, of Crash Data Specialists LLC. Muir and Northrup will be using the latest version of the Bosch Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) System, version 8.0.

The CDR System allows users to image important vehicle crash data present in the Airbag Control Modules (ACMs) of most late model production vehicles from manufacturers including Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, GM (Chevy, Olds, Buick, Pontiac, Saturn, Cadillac, GMC, Holden, & Opal), Honda/Acura, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Saab, Sterling, Suzuki, and Toyota/Lexus/Scion.

Learn more about the vehicle coverage in CDR Software v8.0.

The CDR Systems Operators Class is an eight-hour class that covers the basics of operation, including how to determine if the subject vehicle is supported by CDR, how to select the appropriate connection method to safely image crash data, and how to create reports and save the imaged data for later use. This class serves as the prerequisite for the 32-hour CDR Analysis and Applications Class, which Crash Data Specialists will be teaching Tuesday through Friday (December 4 – 7, 2012).

The CDR Analysis and Applications Class teaches users how to understand the function of the Event Data Recorder (EDR) information present in some ACMs. In this class, users perform line-by-line data analyses, learn how to apply the data to the crash, and receive instruction on delta-v, closing speed analysis, and a variety of additional topics.

Register for the CDR classes online, or register by calling MSC's office at 205.444.0071.

View a printable flyer (pdf).

Bruce Gazdick's "Practical Applications of CDR Technology" Class Taught at MSC

Bruce Gazdick's Power Distribution Center (PDC) tool

William Messerschmidt
Principal Technical Analyst
MSC

On June 18th, Messerschmidt Safety Consultants (MSC) hosted "Practical Applications of CDR Technology," at our Pelham, Alabama office. The course was taught by Mr. Bruce Gazdick of L & L Investigations and was attended by the staff of MSC, as well as local law enforcement officers from Hoover and Pelham, AL Police Departments.

It was a great privilege for us at MSC to have Bruce Gazdick teach this fantastic class at our Pelham, AL office. Bruce is a former Jacksonville, Florida Deputy Sheriff who handles products liability investigations nationwide with ESIS and EAA. Bruce also works as an instructor for the Institute of Police Technology and Management, where he teaches "Event Data Recorder Use in Traffic Accident Reconstruction," along with Mr. Richard Ruth and Mr. Bill Wright.

Bruce designed and developed the Power Distribution Center (PDC), which is a tool that facilitates accessing Event Recorder data in heavily damaged passenger vehicles. The eight-hour course, which included lecture, Q&A, and hands-on training focused on using the PDC and preserving diagnostic fault data in airbag modules.

We'd like to thank all of those who attended--and especially our instructor Bruce Gazdick--for an excellent day of training!

Messerschmidt and Austin to Present at the 2012 ARC-CSI Crash Conference

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
MSC

Bill Messerschmidt of MSC, and Tim Austin of the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy will give a presentation on “Using ECM Diagnostic Data in Crash Reconstruction” at the 2012 ARC-CSI Crash Conference, which will take place June 4-7, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Messerschmidt and Austin’s presentation explores the presence of important, volatile fault data in heavy vehicle Engine Control Modules (ECMs) that are oftentimes ignored, inadvertently erased, or overwritten during the ECM data imaging process.

They will discuss how and when diagnostic records are written, how they can be useful in collision investigations, as well as how the data can be preserved correctly. Messerschmidt and Austin will describe data imaging methods, such as the use of surrogate vehicles and devices like the “Truck in a Box.”

The ARC-CSI Crash Conference takes place annually and—as they have done for the past 10 years—the ARC-CSI Crash Team will conduct multiple, fully instrumented live crash tests of vehicles in real world crash scenarios. Learn more about the crash tests.

The two days that follow crash test day are comprised of technical presentations given by experts from around the world on topics relevant to investigating and reconstructing vehicle collisions. Learn more about the topics and speakers for the 2012 ARC-CSI Crash Conference.

Register to attend this year’s conference.

Bendix ABS Research by Ben Smith Forthcoming at SAE 2012 World Congress

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
MSC

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants (MSC) is proud to announce that Benjamin Smith, in conjunction with Timothy Austin of the Wisconsin State Patrol and Mike Farrell of Fox Valley Technical College, will have their most recent research published at the upcoming Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2012 World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, April 24-26.

Their technical paper, “An Examination of Diagnostic Event Data in Bendix Antilock Brake System Electronic Control Units,” will be presented during the Event Data Recorders (EDR) section of the Occupant Protection session.

The paper pertains to the function and accuracy of the Bendix EC-60 and EC-30 ABS controllers in real-world crash scenarios. In particular, the study focuses on the diagnostic event recording and reporting functions within the electronic controllers of Bendix ABS systems.

This research is unique, as it is the first time that Bendix ABS systems have been formally explored as a source of crash event data in the investigations of motor vehicle crashes. The underlying research for this paper was conducted in the spring of last year on late-model Volvo and International commercial vehicles in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Toyota, Lexus, and Scion Included in Latest Release of Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Software

Benjamin Smith
Principal Technical Analyst
MSC of MS

Late last month, Bosch released the latest (and a highly anticipated) version of its Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Tool software. The release of CDR Tool Version 4.0 was also accompanied by several pieces of new hardware. In addition to expanded coverage for the latest Ford and Chrysler vehicles, this release also includes all new coverage for Toyota, Lexus, and Scion.

The new coverage for Toyota, Lexus, and Scion includes more than 75 vehicle models dating back to 2006 that had not been covered with previous versions of the Crash Data Retrieval Tool software. Depending on the specific vehicle model, the data from these vehicles can include pre-crash parameters such as vehicle speed, braking status, engine speed, accelerator rate, and seat belt status.

While the specific types and amounts of data vary by vehicle model, downloads retrieved by vehicles via the Crash Data Retrieval system can be of great value to an accident reconstruction or accident investigation.

If you have questions about CDR downloads or specific vehicle model coverage, please contact us. MSC's staff in Alabama and Mississippi is trained and certified in the retrieval, preservation, and analysis of CDR data.

View a complete listing of vehicles covered by CDR Tool Version 4.0.

SAE EDR Symposium: Day 2, Session 2

Bill Messerschmidt
Manager
Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

The second session today is "Commercial Vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) (and Supplier) Perspectives," with speakers from Daimler Trucks, Volvo Trucks, Navistar, and Meritor Wabco.

The first speaker is Paul Menig from Daimler Trucks North America. Mr. Menig is discussing Safety from Start to Finish. He points out that a heavy vehicle has approximately 10 computers (engine, transmission, ABS, and so on). He points out that the general trend in the trucking industry has been for new technology to begin as an aftermarket option and then move toward greater integration (prep package, pre-delivery) until it becomes an OE factory option.

The next speaker is Timothy LaFon from Volvo Trucks North America. Mack and Volvo are headquartered in Greensboro, NC. The major control units on these vehicles are ABS, Airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), EECU and VECU (Engine and Vehicle Electronic Control Units, respectively). There is also a light control module. He points out that ECUs were not developed for accident or crash investigations, and that physical data need to be considered as well as electronic data.

Beginning in 2002, Volvo does have "freeze frame" data associated with fault codes. Mr. LaFon announced that Volvo DOES HAVE INCIDENT LOGGING. The Volvo EDR, which begins in 2010, has two events: one associated with a Last Stop and one associated with a wheel speed trigger of 10mph/sec. There is one fault associated with VECU faults and one with EECU faults. These have 60 seconds of pre-event and 30 seconds of post-event data at 4Hz.

Airbag control units can be downloaded but need to be sent back to Europe. ABS and ESC systems should be downloaded by the supplier (e.g., Bendix or Wabco).

THIS IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL, PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT FROM VOLVO THAT THEIR TRUCKS HAVE AN EDR.

As of now, Mr. LaFon states that all Volvo VECU/EECU downloads must be handled by Tim Cheek (Delta-V Forensic Engineers) or John Steiner (KEVA Engineering). Mr. LaFon states that the reason for this is that they (Volvo) have concerns about data accuracy, evidence spoliation, and that Volvo has no method for selling the EDR Retrieval Tools to the public.

I think it's worth pointing out here that the engineering, research, and crash investigation community have successfully dealt with these very same issues with the other engine manufacturers' EDRs, including self-funding dozens and dozens of research papers over (literally) decades in light vehicle and heavy vehicle EDRs. Ironically, most of that research has been published though SAE.

The third speaker is Alan Korn from Meritor Wabco. Mr. Korn is describing the data monitoring system that Meritor Wabco offers called Safety Direct. This system can monitor and record driver behavior and alert a safety manager of aggressive driving. Safety Direct monitors and records events (10 seconds before and after), and can include video. It can be downloaded directly from the vehicle or it can be uploaded by a telematics system.

The final presentation in this group is from Eric Swenson of Navistar. Mr. Swenson is discussing the electrical, mechanical, space, and power requirements for a J2728-compliant HVEDR.

Visit SAE's page to learn more about the speakers. View the Event Guide for the SAE 2011 Highway Vehicle EDR Symposium (pdf).

SAE EDR Symposium: Day 2, Session 1

Bill Messerschmidt
Manager

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

The second day of the SAE 2011 Highway Vehicle Event Data Recorder (EDR) Symposium kicks off with a morning session on international perspectives on EDRs. Speakers from Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan will be up this morning.

The session begins with Ralph-Roland Schmidt-Cotta from Continental GmbH in Germany. Herr Schmidt-Cotta is covering the historical background of EDRs. This history goes back to 1971, when mechanical tachographs were mandated in the European Economic Community. In 1973, the German Traffic Court Conference called for an Accident Data Recorder. Currently, the EU is attending to vulnerable road users (cyclists and motorcycle users) because fatalities among these road users are increasing relative to the number of overall fatalities. EDR technology may assist in these incidents. The European Parliament will be considering several bills that may require EDR technology in Europe for accident research, but the use of EDR data in civil and criminal proceedings will likely be left to the national level.

The second speaker, from the Japan Automotive Research Institute (JARI), is Nobuyki Uchida. His presentation is Human Error Analysis in Pedestrian Incidents. In Japan, pedestrian accidents account for approximately 35% of fatalities. In response to this, JARI conducted a naturalistic driving study using video recorders. Five video cameras were linked to vehicle onboard data, such as speed pulse and brake activations. Based on their research, attentional allocation and temporal obstructions were causal factors in drivers making the incorrect decision that it was safe to turn. JARI will be working to develop pedestrian sensors that can assist drivers in avoiding these crashes.

The third speaker is Tobias Aberle, from AXA Winterthur in Switzerland. AXA implemented a crash data recorder for its customers and offered a 15% discount on insurance premiums. These crash recorders are specifically designed for capturing data after an incident, and they provide overwrite protection, backup power, and record at higher resolution during the crash than during the seconds leading up to and after it. This is quite nice, since it was designed for accident investigations. I am a bit surprised that the crash recorder is a robust accelerometer and doesn't include driver inputs such as throttle position or brake pedal position.

The final speaker of the first session today is Dr. Anders Ydenius from Folksam Research in Sweden. Dr. Ydenius has analyzed crashes with EDR-equipped vehicles between 1992 and 2008, with a specific focus on road design and its interaction with driver and occupant injuries. Crashes were analyzed by speed limit, crash type, friction conditions, and fixed object (for single vehicle crashes). One of the (several) interesting conclusions was that wire guardrails and W guardrails offer significant potential for injury mitigation over concrete barriers.

This is one of the coolest aspects of this seminar: having renowned international speakers from Europe and Asia offers excellent perspective.

Visit SAE's page to learn more about the speakers. View the Event Guide for the SAE 2011 Highway Vehicle EDR Symposium (pdf).

SAE EDR Symposium: Day 1, Session 2

Bill Messerschmidt
Manager

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

The second session is Passenger Car Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Event Data Recorders (EDRs). The first speaker is James Engle from Ford. His presentation is an overview of the Ford EDR systems (powertrain control module, restraint control module). He is discussing how Ford EDRs are changing to become Part 563 compliant. The most notable change from a crash investigation standpoint is that data won't be recorded on the PCM anymore.

Next speakers are from Chrysler: Lisa Fodale & James Bielenda. Ms. Fodale is describing the three phases of Chrysler EDRs (Phase 1: 2005-2007MY, Phase 2: 2008-2009MY, Phase 3: 2010-2012). She's provided a really good, succinct summary of the increasing amount of data supported in these EDRs. Mr. Beilenda provided a great segment on numerous applications of Chrysler EDRs. Both sections were great summaries of where these two manufacturers are with EDRs and Part 563 compliance.

Visit SAE's page about this event to learn more about the speakers. View the Event Guide for the SAE 2011 Highway Vehicle EDR Symposium (pdf).

SAE to Hold 2011 EDR Symposium, June 6-8

Kelly Messerschmidt

Technical Communications Manager

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) will hold an Event Data Recorder (EDR) Symposium at the Institute Conference Center, in Danville, Virginia, June 6-8, 2011.

MSC’s Bill Messerschmidt will be speaking at the EDR Symposium on analyzing driver behavior using HVEDR data, during the second Unique Applications session, on June 8^th. This year’s event marks the fourth EDR Symposium held since 1999.

The SAE 2011 EDR Symposium includes 38 speakers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden. These 38 speakers include university researchers, government researchers, trucking company executives and safety managers, industry engineers and executives, and consultants. Read about the speakers.

Technical sessions include Video Data Recorder applications, Standards Development, Passenger Car EDRs, International Activities, and Unique Applications.

You can learn more about the 2011 EDR Symposium at the SAE website. The links on the page include registration, travel, and exhibitor information, as well as speaker bios and descriptions of the technical sessions.

MSC Participates in the 2011 SAE World Congress

Benjamin Smith

Principal Technical Analyst

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants of Mississippi

For the third consecutive year, MSC was involved with the publication and presentation of new research for the SAE World Congress. This year MSC was represented by Benjamin Smith who coauthored a new research paper, "Data Extraction Methods and their Effects on the Retention of Event Data Contained in the Electronic Control Modules of Detroit Diesel and Mercedes-Benz Engines," (SAE 2011-01-0808), with David Plant and Timothy Austin.

This paper was presented along with research such as Ruth and Daily's paper on Event Data Recorder (EDR) accuracy, Bare, Everest, Floyd, and Nunan's research paper on sensing diagnostic module (SDM) pre-crash data transfer, and Austin and Farrell's paper on Caterpillar Electronic Control Module (ECM) snapshot data. In addition to the research papers presented, some of the technical sessions and discussions addressed accident reconstruction topics including drag sled accuracy and usage, forensic photogrammetry, and diesel engine retarder acceleration rates.

Kevin Jones Attends the CDR Data Analyst Certification Course

Kevin Jones of MSC is taking the Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Data Analyst Certification course in Las Vegas, Nevada, during February 14-18, 2011. His training this week adds to the extensive training and experience he has in using and applying CDR data, which he gained during his work as a Crash Investigator for a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contractor. Contact Kevin Jones to learn more about his experience and skills.

The main focus of the 2011 CDR Data Analyst Certification course is reading and understanding a Bosch CDR System report and then applying it to a situationally complete accident reconstruction. The course is extensive, and it even includes participants being exposed to data that are not currently available using the Bosch CDR System. For more information on CDR courses, as well as other courses the Collision Safety Institute offers, such as CRUSH, view CSI's course listings online.

EDR (Black Box) Data Retrieval

MSC is an industry leader in Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorder (HVEDR) technology. Our employees have authored peer-reviewed research, developed software tools, and performed HVEDR downloads and analysis from New York to California.

Along with our experience with HVEDRs, MSC has been actively involved in using the Crash Data Retrieval Tool (CDR Tool), which can access up to 25 seconds of valuable pre-crash event data in passenger cars. CDR Tool version 3.5 currently supports Event Data collection from many General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Isuzu, and Mitsubishi vehicles.

The event data that are downloaded—such as brake circuit status, airbag deployment status, seatbelt use status, wheel speed, engine RPM, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, and so on—depend on the type of passenger car. View a comprehensive vehicle coverage list.

MSC’s staff has a great deal of experience with the preservation and analysis of these data.

Benjamin Smith received Bosch-certified CDR training from the Collision Safety Institute in San Diego, CA. Having carried out hundreds of crash investigations, Ben has performed over 300 CDR downloads.

While serving as a crash investigator for a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contractor, Kevin Jones received his CDR training directly from employees of NHTSA, the National Automotive Sampling System, and the US DOT Traffic Safety Institute. He performed over 300 CDR downloads as part of that NHTSA contract.

Bill Messerschmidt received Bosch-certified CDR training through the Collision Safety Institute in San Diego, CA. Bill has participated in CDR validation testing with W. Rusty Haight and was an invited speaker at the First and Second Annual Crash Data Retrieval Tool Conferences. Bill is one of only two individuals to have authored peer-reviewed research on both heavy vehicle and passenger vehicle EDRs.

When handled properly and interpreted correctly, “black box” data from both passenger cars and heavy vehicles can provide invaluable clues about crash-causation and mishap prevention.

MSC in Wisconsin Trooper Magazine

In February, Messerschmidt Safety Consulting was honored by inclusion in the cover story of the Spring 2010 issue of Wisconsin Trooper magazine. Wisconsin Trooper is the official quarterly publication of the Wisconsin State Trooper Association.

During 2009, Troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP) made important contributions to two Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) technical papers. Sergeant Duane Meyers coauthored a technical paper with Dr. L. Daniel Metz, which looks at tire/road friction at high speeds (“Controlled Braking Experiments with and without ABS,” forthcoming SAE 2010-01-1000), and Trooper Tim Austin coauthored a technical paper with representatives of several other organizations (including MSC) on the effect that power failure has on event data recorders (EDRs) in heavy trucks (“Simulating the Effect of Collision-Related Power Loss on the Event Data Recorders of Heavy Trucks,” forthcoming SAE 2010-01-1004).

Wisconsin’s Technical Reconstruction Unit, of which Meyers and Austin are members, continues to make meaningful and valuable contributions to forensic science, accident investigation and reconstruction, and criminal justice. We at MSC are privileged to have had the opportunity to work with the WSP and to have been included in the Trooper Association’s quarterly magazine.

Research to be Included in SAE Transactions

On April 21st, Bill Messerschmidt presented his research paper titled "A Statistical Analysis of Event Data from Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders" at the 2009 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress in Detroit, Michigan. The paper was co-authored by Jeffrey W. Muttart.

Bill and Jeff's paper was nominated for inclusion in SAE Transactions, a compilation of the year's most significant technical research. At the World Congress, session organizers announced that the paper was selected for inclusion in this prestigious collection.