Computer records

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2017 SRC CX-5 GT + Premium
I drive a 2017 CX-5 GT with all the bells and whistles (except AWD). A couple weeks ago, I was involved in a fender bender where the other driver backed into me in a parking lot, while I was fully braked, not moving. She was driving an F150, so her bumper hit the "trout pout" lip on the front, and also the badged sensor that houses the forward facing radar, etc., electronics. Cracked the glass covering, and though it works, it currently sends me BRAKE NOW warnings about cars that are in the lane to the left, so it'll obviously need to be fixed.

The question I have is this: is information captured and stored somewhere in the computer systems of the car, for collisions? The other lady LIED when insurance contacted her about the accident, and said that I hit her, so my claim against her policy was declined. I wasn't expecting someone to lie about this kind of thing. Naive. We didn't want to wait 2 hours for the police to show up, so just agreed to "call it in."... no witnesses that hung around, and no surveillance footage available short of seeking a court order for MAYBE seeing something... so, I don't have proof that I was not moving when the accident happened, unless it's possible for something to have been captured in the computers.

I'll ask the dealership to check into that when we take it in to be repaired, but I was just wondering if anyone here knows offhand what the likelihood of that would be. It was very low speed (she put it in reverse and just backed up... so < 5mph), and the airbags didn't deploy.

Thanks!
 
This is the main reason to wait for the police. You should of asked the witnesses if they would speak to your insurance company? If yes, get their name and number.
Doubtful the information you need would be stored but I would call Mazda NA and ask. Dealer probably wouldn't know. Hopefully you called your insurance company immediately and reported it.
If you did it early you have that on your side. She could be charged with insurance fraud.
Too bad you didn't have a dash cam.
 
I called it in before leaving the scene. Any witnesses just drove around us as I got out of the way of parking lot traffic. Nobody wanted to hang around for an oops "bonk." :/ This is what I get for trusting someone.
 
Here's a short article on Event Data Recorders.
Here's an Edmunds article on what it takes to access the data.

Sorry to hear of your accident and the liar who hit you.
People suck.

On the flip side, I had a guy rear-end my truck as I was sitting at a stop sign. No significant damage (low speed impact), but the bumper needed to be replaced. He did not want it on his insurance, so asked me to get an estimate and he would write me a personal check. I trusted him. He came through as promised.

But people still suck.
 
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You're welcome.

I found it interesting that the EDR not only resides in the air bag sensor, there may be a second one in the ECU of the stability control system (VSC) if your car has one.

Learn something new every day around this place...
 
Sorry to hear about that. You might have some luck with one of the businesses that shares the parking lot, or the owner of the parking lot itself. Sometimes the businesses have security cameras that overlook the lot, and some lot owners install cameras to provide additional security, enticing people to park in their lot vs. the unmonitored lot across the street.

You'd have to act quickly though, the security footage can be overwritten in a matter of days if they have no reason to retain it.
 
Looks like the EDR may have the data you need but getting and interpreting it then suing the other driver would cost way more than what it would cost you to fix it.
 
Looks like the EDR may have the data you need but getting and interpreting it then suing the other driver would cost way more than what it would cost you to fix it.
Yup.

The old Cost/Benefit/Moral Outrage dilemma.
 
Pretty sure it should be the OP's insurance co. doing the investigative work on this since it'll be the one suing the other lady's insurance in court. That's what we pay to have insurance for--so we don't have to use our own money in court when someone lies.
 
I had a similar issue last summer...dude rear-ended me while I was stopped at a traffic light...crunched the passenger rear corner...he clearly missed fully moving into his right-turn lane....then he made his right turn...and as I turned to follow and pull over and do the necessary dance, he floored it and took the flock off...I called 911 (who transferred me to the local police station) and I followed him long enough to get a plate number...out of stater...
Since I had already left the scene...the local police told me to just come in the next day and file a report.
My insurance was happy enough to allow me to fix my own car, with the 500 deductible (wasn't worth it to me)...
They did eventually track down the other car and their insurance co, and after 2 weeks of calling their insurance co, of course the other driver eventually claimed I cut him off and hit him...figures...dude was probably DUI late on a Friday night.
No 911 records...what the what?!?!?
There was a QuikCheck at the intersection with a camera pointed right at the intersection...but their corporate office would not allow me to see or obtain any video without a subpoena...hella thanks.

Lesson learned? Do not leave the scene...though, to be honest, if I hadn't, I would not have been able to identify the other vehicle at all.

Yeah...people suck.
 
Pretty sure it should be the OP's insurance co. doing the investigative work on this since it'll be the one suing the other lady's insurance in court. That's what we pay to have insurance for--so we don't have to use our own money in court when someone lies.
Insurance companies don't want the mess (or risk) of "doing the right thing."

Cost/Benefit means not spending twice as much than the repair will cost merely for a chance for "justice." Besides, they can always raise rates to cover the costs.
 
Rapidrider: That sucks!! I had something similar happen years ago to a Dakota I had gotten not 2 weeks before. Sideswiped, and he took off. This was before cellphones were prevalent, so... yeah. I was pissed and scared because it was 2am and he went up ONTO the curb before hitting me. Drunk and running away. Not something a 20-something gal wants to deal with in the wee hours.

Anyhow, dealership said the EDR won't capture data unless the airbags deploy, or the collision causes the check engine light to go off. Fender benders don't trigger it. Bleah. I'm unemployed right now, so I'll take the deductible on this. I'm just... gah... still pissed that someone would LIE like that.
 
Pretty sure it should be the OP's insurance co. doing the investigative work on this since it'll be the one suing the other lady's insurance in court. That's what we pay to have insurance for--so we don't have to use our own money in court when someone lies.
That's what I would do, call my insurance company and let them deal with the other insurance company. However, all they do is look at the accident report and where the damage is and assess based on that. If they see your car is damaged squarely in the front with no accident report they will assess that it is your fault.
 
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