Some Opportunities of Using Car Computer Systems for Forensic Purposes

A modern automobile, being a product of the digitization of various spheres of public life, is potentially a significant source of information relevant for the law enforcement bodes. The author analyzes the positions of researchers regarding the role of digital technologies in obtaining information valuable for crime counteraction, including the circumstances to be proven in a criminal case. Special attention is paid to the sources of evidentiary information obtained from the digital systems of a vehicle. The conducted research allowed the author to conclude that the use of information from the computerized systems of a car is an objective necessity in the investigation of road accidents, it is also an additional, and rarely used in the past, source of operative-search and forensic information for other types of crimes. The opinions of researchers and the practical experience of law enforcement employees made it possible to study the specifics of the creation and registration of data from in-vehicle systems. According to the author, the described opportunities require a comprehensive integration into criminalistics in order to work out new methods of collecting and analyzing information that could be effectively used in criminal proceedings.