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Accident Reconstruction

January 16, 2023 Consulting Areas No Comments

Traffic Accident Reconstruction

ACTARTraffic accident reconstruction is the effort to determine, from whatever resources are available, how an accident happened. A traffic accident reconstructionist must be familiar with the application of a wide range of mathematics and specialized aspects of vehicle technology.

Because of the wide range of knowledge required by the accident reconstructionist, voluntary certification is available through the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction. ACTAR certification includes education, work experience, and successful completion of a comprehensive examination.

Accident reconstruction deals with:

  • kinetic energy
  • conservation of momentum
  • seatbelttime-distance calculations
  • physical evidence from road and vehicle
  • crash scene photography analysis
  • lamp analysis
  • skid analysis 
  • airborne analysis
  • vehicle data and research
  • damage assessment
  • vehicle damage location, qualification and quantification
  • approach, impact and departure angles
  • approach speed calculation,
  • impact calculations and Delta-V calculation
  • post impact speed calculation

Dr. McElroy specializes in motor vehicle technology and accident reconstruction. This typically entails physical inspection of the damaged vehicles, examination of the accident scene, and reconstruction of collision events using engineering calculations based primarily on momentum, energy, and restitution equations.

Vehicles may include passenger cars, light trucks, commercial vehicles, bicycles, and motorcycles. Information on pre-crash, crash, and post-crash (the 3 phases of a crash) is compiled to best determine how the event (accident, collision, failure) happened. Issues investigated include:

  • Vehicle Speeds
  • Impact Severity
  • Driver Actions
  • Seat Belt Use
  • Accident Causal Factors
  • Collision Avoidance
  • Line of Sight / Visibility Problems
  • Mechanical Defects
  • Tire Failure
  • Black Box Data
  • Lamp Analysis

Collision Diagram

Motorcycle going wrong way on divided suburban street.

Motorcycle going wrong way on divided suburban street.

Immediate Accident Response

If you need immediate accident and technical response please contact our office.

New vs Old: Automotive Trends 2023 – 2030

NEW VEHICLES

With the decade beginning in 2020 the automotive industry is dealing with four key new vehicle trends. All of these trends will be significant in all sectors of transportation including passenger cars and tractor trailers.

These trends will be relevant in collision analysis, accident reconstruction, and vehicle mechanical technology.

  1. Powertrain electrification
  2. Vehicle lightweighting
  3. Connected vehicles
  4. Autonomous vehicles

OLDER VEHICLES

In May of 2023 the average age of sedans and passenger vehicles was 13.6 and 12.5 years respectively, as reported by S&P Global Mobility, with nearly 122 million vehicles more than 12 years old.

ECONOMIC REALITY CHECK

According to Automotive News the average price of a new vehicle is nearly $48,000 with an average payment of $730 per month. High-end pickup trucks and luxury vehicles can exceed $100,000 with monthly payments in excess of $1,000.

OLD & NEW FORENSIC CONCERNS

Older vehicles absolutely require periodic maintenance. Deferred maintenance will result in vehicle performance degradation which will result in more collisions.

New vehicles have significant Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Here are some: Blind Spot Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Pedestrian Automatic Braking, Autonomous Emergency Braking, and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Each and every one of these ADAS systems, with their respective components, requires proper setup and alignment. OEM Maintenance and Repair Procedures must be followed during the service procedure to be conducted by a trained technician.

If the technician does not know how to fix it, and they do not have the proper tools and equipment, that ADAS system will not work as the manufacturer designed and installed the system into the vehicle. All of these factors are relevant in accident reconstruction and post-collision vehicle analysis.

CONCLUSION

Both old and new vehicles, passenger cars to tractor trailers, have important technical issues which must be thoroughly analyzed during post-collision analysis. Because of this complexity a team approach may be necessary to optimally deal with: 1) driver, 2) vehicle, 3) environment; during A) pre-crash, B) crash, C) post-crash.

Forensic Accident. Com – Photos

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