The Road Traffic Accident Investigator
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Posted On :
Nov-14-2011
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Article Word Count :
500
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Anyone who has seen a police documentary will be familiar with the term "road traffic accident investigator", but may not know what it is they do. This article aims to explain this sometimes complicated matter. A road traffic accident investigator can find his job throws him into all kinds of situations and take him to various locations.
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The majority of their work comes from LSC funded instructions although they are seeing a growth in the number of instructions funded by insurance companies. One such case which I came across recently involved a lorry driver from France who was charged with causing death by careless driving. Clearly, this was to be funded by the driver’s insurance company and they were looking for a dual skilled Collision Investigator and Vehicle Examiner to assess all the factors involved.
The expert’s opinion was that there was a requirement to investigate the following: time taken for the lady (a pensioner) to cross to the point of impact, her conspicuity, given that a slower moving object in the peripheral vision is much less obvious, time taken to slow the vehicle at its weight at the time of collision from various speeds, the sight lines from the vehicle across the cab given the driver’s weight (the adjustable, air ride seat found in such trucks sinks when the driver’s weight is applied), any other vehicle defect that may have caused it to perform below its normal standard, whether the driver was within his tacograph limits, as tiredness is instrumental in the loss of awareness, and a thorough review of the Police Collision Investigator’s report to establish whether they had considered all the factors.
In this case the investigator actually had to travel to the place where the vehicle was located, which in this case was France.
His examination of the vehicle concluded that the sight lines from the driver’s seat opened up exponentially, due to perspective, the further away from point of impact the vehicle was sited. Given that microscope analysis of the tacograph identified a speed of no more than 23mph, and that the consultant was able to calculate deceleration rates under braking, he was able to piece together what was in view from the point where the pedestrian stepped from the pavement to her impact with the vehicle. All of this information was then pieced together in the form of a report, plan, photo album and DVD video footage with the intention of attempting to explain the nuances of a highly technical investigation to a jury.
It was concluded that a mistake on the part of the lorry driver had caused the accident in which the old lady died. The exact cause of the driver's lack of awareness will be known only to him. From the legal point of view, they were able to advise that he was unlikely to be able to construct a reasonable defence and the insurance company were advised accordingly.
This case study reveals several interesting realities of the collision investigation industry.
At the very least it shows what a varied and complex role it can be. In our day to day lives we do not concern ourselves with the mechanics of how these kind of investigations work behind the scenes, yet upon examination it proves to be a fascinating world.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The Road Traffic Accident Investigator_104072.aspx
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Author Resource :
This article was written by a road traffic investigator who works closely with Wayman Consultancy. They provide road traffic accident investigation and vehicle examination services for lawyers, transport authorities, insurance companies, and emergency services.
For more information about Road Traffic Accident Investigator, visit: www.waymanexperts.com
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Keywords :
road, traffic, accidents, investigation,
Category :
Travel and Leisure
:
Vehicles
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