Information automatically recorded by a vehicle or machine's onboard electronic systems before, during, and after an incident, often including speed, brake use, throttle position, steering input, seat belt status, airbag deployment timing, engine fault codes, and in some systems GPS or hours-of-service records.

In crash investigation, black box data usually comes from an event data recorder (EDR) in a passenger vehicle or an engine control module in a truck, tractor, or other heavy equipment. The data is not a video of the crash and it is not always complete. Many systems capture only a few seconds of pre-impact information, and some record only when a triggering event occurs. In North Dakota, that can matter in winter highway wrecks, farm-equipment transport collisions, and flooding-related roadway incidents where physical evidence is quickly lost or altered.

For an injury claim, black box data can support or contradict witness statements about speed, braking, following distance, seat belt use, or whether evasive action happened before impact. That can affect liability, comparative fault, and damages. North Dakota follows modified comparative fault under N.D.C.C. § 32-03.2-02 (1987): an injured person can recover only if that person's fault is not as great as the defendants' combined fault. Preserving the vehicle promptly is critical because data can be overwritten, lost during repairs, or erased when a damaged vehicle is salvaged. Access is also limited by the federal Driver Privacy Act of 2015, which generally treats EDR data as the vehicle owner's property absent consent, a court order, or another listed exception.