A motorcycle trip may leave data on a phone, navigation unit, paired dashboard, wearable device, cloud account, mapping application, ride-tracking application, or carrier record. A screenshot of a route is only one view of that information. It may omit the account, time zone, sampling interval, edits, pauses, gaps, units, metadata, or source file needed to understand it.

A device-data inventory should identify the device, account, application, user, time setting, native source, export method, and limit before anyone draws a route or speed conclusion.

Identify every possible device and account

  • Phone make and model, device identifier, operating system, user, carrier, number, paired devices, and known clock or time-zone setting
  • Motorcycle display or navigation unit, removable storage, headset, action camera, smartwatch, fitness tracker, or other connected device
  • Mapping, navigation, ride-tracking, emergency, health, messaging, photograph, cloud-storage, or manufacturer application and the account associated with it
  • Whether the device was damaged, powered on or off, repaired, replaced, reset, traded, synchronized, or accessed after the collision

Preserve the source before changing settings

Do not delete an application, clear history, reset a device, edit a trip, combine accounts, or overwrite a backup to make the record easier to read. Record the device’s condition and visible state, preserve lawful access information securely, and obtain qualified assistance when ordinary use could change data. Do not access another person’s device or account without authority.

  • Original device and storage, available backup, account-export option, native file, database or activity file, and application-generated report
  • Export date, person performing the export, method, selected date range, filters, units, included fields, file name, file hash when used, and storage location
  • Screenshot or screen recording labeled as a viewing copy rather than substituted for the available native or account data
  • Service request, repair, replacement, warranty return, salvage, or disposal hold documented before the device leaves the owner’s control

Build a clock and time-zone map

  • Collision time from dispatch, crash report, photographs, video, witnesses, medical records, and device sources kept separately
  • Device time zone, automatic or manual clock setting, daylight-saving status, application display zone, server time, and known offset
  • Creation, modification, upload, synchronization, export, and viewing times labeled rather than treated as the same event
  • Estimated or rounded time marked as such and no gap filled merely because two records appear close together

Treat route, location, and speed displays cautiously

A plotted line may connect sampled points rather than show the path continuously. Location precision can vary with device settings, satellite view, network assistance, application design, surroundings, power state, and export format. A displayed speed may be recorded, averaged, calculated, converted, or inferred by the application. Preserve the underlying fields and product documentation instead of assuming the display proves lane position, continuous movement, exact speed, rider input, or collision causation.

  • Coordinate, accuracy field, altitude, heading, speed field, unit, sample interval, pause, gap, interpolation, and map-matching behavior when available
  • Trip start and stop method, automatic detection, manual edit, discarded point, privacy zone, battery interruption, network loss, and synchronization history
  • User identity and whether another person, vehicle, device, or imported activity could be associated with the account
  • Source point retained even when it conflicts with the crash report, video, witness account, or another device

Plan for authentication and original-form questions

North Carolina Rule of Evidence 901 addresses evidence sufficient to support a finding that an item is what its proponent claims, including illustrations involving a knowledgeable witness and a process or system. Record who created or collected the data, the system, account, device association, export process, custody, and changes.

Rule 1001 defines writings and recordings to include electronic recording or another form of data compilation and addresses originals and duplicates. Rule 1002 states the general original requirement for proving content, subject to other rules or statutes. These rules do not make every app display accurate or admissible; they identify questions that the preservation record should be able to answer.

Connect device data without replacing other evidence

Compare device data with original photographs, video, crash-report entries, roadway measurements, dispatch records, vehicle data, medical chronology, and firsthand accounts. Keep each source independent and identify agreements, conflicts, blind periods, and uncertainty. A missing trip, disabled location setting, deleted application, damaged device, or unavailable account does not establish what the missing data would have shown.

The related guide to preserving motorcycle-crash photographs and video covers camera sources, native visual files, fields of view, and image limitations. For phone, navigation, and ride-tracking records, keep the device, account, native export, time setting, and any missing interval together.

Rosensteel Fleishman Car Accident & Injury Lawyers provides general information about North Carolina motorcycle-collision claims involving electronic trip data. Lawful access, preservation, interpretation, and admissibility require the particular device, system, account, and case record.

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