.....and that rumor is that it is possible to determine how fast a vehicle was traveling, and when. This information is stored in the main ECU somewhere.

Furthermore - there is a locked code that only law enforcement can get access to, but only when evidence is needed in criminal trials.

Any truth to this - or is it strictly horse-puckey?

 

Yes, majority of new cars have a black box that stores the last 7 seconds of information before impact. Unless there's an impact, it doesn't store anything that can be used against you.

 

You're referring to the SDM-the sensing and diagnosis module.It's located under the rear portion of the console on our HHRs.It's strictly for crash info.The info is NOT stored in the BCM or the ECM.

 

And law enforcement would not have a clue on how to get the data out of the SDM or much less analyse the data. It looks like random numbers and characters when a print out is pulled. Not even dealer employees can pull the data.

 

Raw data or data in a propreitary format, would need to be uploaded to the appropriate software compiler to interpret and produce useable output.

See, we have a clue, we just don't have access to the proper equipment

 

Of course I would never intenionally put down our nations finest. A better post would of been "Law enforcement has no means to pull and de-compile this data".

 

Two words........

COURT ORDER.

But generally done in civil actions. Sometimes (at least here in my state) for serious and fatal accidents, by the jurisdiction of enforcement.

The infamous new attorney in a Mustang and 2 dead pedestrians, comes to mind.

 

Insurance companies have been getting the data too, again by court order. Proprietary systems are such only to the limits of public policy and the will of the courts to order compliance.

 

Chevymgr, no worries, I didn't take it that way at all.