A method for transmitting event data from an event detection and reporting system in a vehicle to a backend server includes storing full resolution sensor data in a vehicle buffer memory and subsampling the full resolution sensor data to produce reduced resolution of the sensor data. A vehicle event is detected based on an analysis of the reduced resolution sensor data, and the vehicle event is classified based on the reduced resolution sensor data. A determination is made as to whether the vehicle event is classified as a particular type of event with a minimum degree of confidence. The method then includes transmitting an indication that the vehicle event has not been classified with the minimum degree of confidence when the vehicle event has not been classified with the minimum degree of confidence, and transmitting reduced resolution sensor data for the detected vehicle event when the vehicle event is classified with at least the minimum degree of confidence.