After getting into an accident, you hope that investigators can prove your innocence and hold the responsible party accountable because of tire skid marks or traffic cameras. However, those resources aren't always available, so you need to take matters into your own hands by gathering information to protect yourself. The following auto technologies may enhance your courtroom success.

Black Box

According to Tuxera, black boxes in cars are small computers that record information before and during a crash. Early car boxes could only track basic events, such as an airbag deployment. Like everything in the tech world, smaller and faster technology has enabled vehicles’ black boxes to become much more powerful.

Modern black boxes can record brake use, throttle position, speed and acceleration, seatbelt use, steering angle and other details. If you've been involved in an accident, look up your car's make and model, and talk to the car manufacturer about what the black box can record.

It's best to not tamper with the black box because you could damage the information or enter the murky world of tampering with information as far as the courtroom is concerned.

Dash Cam

Car accident court proceedings require as much information as possible to pinpoint fault or to show that no one was purely at fault. While some accidents are caused by unavoidable situations, such as natural disasters, most will involve two parties or a third party who had an external influence on the accident.

According to Crain Lewis Brogdon, you'll need to gather all the necessary evidence that will show that the other person was careless with your safety and present it in court. What better way to prove your point that an actual video of the accident? A dash cam that is running while you’re driving will show the events before, during and after an accident from your vehicle's point of view. If you provide the entire video without tampering it, the truth has the best chance of coming out on top in the courtroom.

Safe Mobile Device Dock Use After an Accident

Invest in a car dock for your mobile devices for fast and easy charging and mounting. To make smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices ready for gathering evidence and getting help, make sure you have a few things in place, such as:

• A backup mobile battery pack. If you're always using your phone and draining the battery, consider getting a pocket charger, which usually consists of a lithium ion battery with micro USB chargers. Cameras are big battery drains, so you need to be able to take pictures and video without shutting down the phone.
• SD cards with a lot of space. Your phone may be full of other pictures, videos and apps. Having a backup SD card will help you save more evidence and make mobile copies for yourself later.
• Mobile data. Being able to send pictures to lawyers, friends and relatives to protect yourself is vital. Don't wait for Wi-Fi.
• Contacts for emergencies, evidence gathering and legal defense. Make sure to have a lawyer, friends, family or anyone else who can help with your defense planning in your contacts.

Though car accidents are not something that anyone wants to experience, the good news is that there’s lots of modern technology that can help you afterwards. Miniaturization and mobile computing make gathering and sharing evidence after a car accident easier every day. Contact a tech expert to discuss other great tools to help you on the road.