What is Accident Reconstruction
Field crash analysis and reconstruction is a multiple disciplinary field that involves some or all of the following, the analysis of physical evidence (criminology), collection & interpretation of evidence, the application of physical laws (mathematics), influences of the environment or the vehicle on the driver or pedestrian's behavior (human factors psychology), and/or influences of the environment on the vehicles (Traffic or civil engineering). Then there are questions that might require some knowledge related to biomechanics, toxicology, vision, audiology or mechanical engineering. Clearly, no single discipline provides an adequate background for all type cases.
Evidence interpretation allows the reconstructionist to determine movement and placement of a vehicle at different moments in time, while laws of motion are used to determine vehicle movements and speed. Human factors analysis then allows the reconstructionist to determine whether a driver or pedestrian's response was "normal" when compared to other drivers. The Accreditation Committee for Traffic Accident Reconstruction defines accident reconstruction as "a systematic process of evaluating the evidence associated with a particular collision sequence and applying accepted physical principles in order to ascertain how the collision occurred."
An understanding of the influences of crashes may allow countermeasures to be designed in order to prevent the same accident from occurring again. Fleet companies, fleet maintenance organizations, insurance carriers, insurance adjusters, police organizations and governmental agencies need a thorough understanding of factors that influence collisions so that policies can be developed to help minimize the occurrence of accidents or to understand the factors that led to a particular collision. Complete and thorough accident reconstruction requires a solid background that includes formal education, practical experience and numerous hours of training in the multiple disciplines of traffic accident reconstruction.
Self Tests
- Driver Response to Traffic Signals