John Rusted LCGI MITAI AMSOE AMIRTE

Chairman of the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators

Senior Collision Investigator, Humberside Police

Director of European Association for Accident Research &

Accident Analysis (EVU) Project Lead (UK) ‘CrashCube’ Crash Data Retrieval Project

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE WORK OF THE ‘CRASH’ INVESTIGATOR

Presented by

A BRIEF HISTORY

‘FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY,

THE AUTOMOBILE HAS

BROUGHT DEATH, INJURY

AND INESTIMABLE SORROW

AND DEPRIVATION TO

MILLIONS OF PEOPLE’ Ralph NADER 1967

UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED

In just over a century, 25 million people have lost their lives in road traffic incidents or crashes

EXPANDING UK CASUALTY RATE

ADDRESSING THE

SITUATION

ENTER THE COLLISION INVESTIGATOR

In the Second World War, it soon became apparent that alarming injuries were being suffered in what should have been survivable crashes. Crash Investigators worked with engineers to address the problem.

If air crashes could be made more survivable, why not the driver?

EMERGING FROM THE WAR YEARS

Whilst the pilot was better protected, the driver was less valuable

Safety features designed into aircraft were not immediately transferred to the motor car (seat belts and dashboard design)

The hunger for transport, particularly in the USA saw people killed at the rate of 45,000 a year, at speeds as low as 10 mph

1950’s and 1960’s – Manufacturers refused to accept any blame for increased road deaths. It was always, the ‘nut behind the wheel’

By the mid 60’s – 50,000 were killed every year on US roads, 3,000 as a result of striking dashboards or protrusions, many more as a

result of being ejected from the vehicle

In the UK at the same time, 1 person died every hour as a result of road traffic accidents

In the early 60’s it became apparent that road deaths needed to be reduced.

Standing in the way of the safety campaigner and engineer were the Manufacturers.

Laminated glass had been available since the 1930’s. Volvo produced the first three point seat belt in 1959.

Highly publicised examples such as the GM Chevrolet Corvair, drew attention to the need to change – readily overturned, even at low

speed. At a cost of $4 per unit, a stabiliser bar would have cured the Corvair.

The Mini was deemed too dangerous even for US roads – domestic

door locks, exposed fuel filler, poor crush worthiness.

Triumph Herald –drive shaft links loosened, poor frontal crush

stiffness.

SIMPLE ANSWER – MAKE EVERYTHING LOOK

BETTER OR MAKE IT SAFER ?

Cars generally became safer, but the motorist

still preferred style and horse power to

safety; Revised legislation was introduced –1967 saw

the 70mph speed limit, the MOT and breath tests

in the UK.

Seatbelts were fitted but not used. Compulsory in the UK in 1983 after

Government campaigns repeatedly failed to educate.

In the US, the air bag was developed as a direct result of motorists refusing to wear belts.

THE 60’s ONWARDS

THE CRUNCH – Grimshaw v Ford

The PINTO killed 180 and seriously injured 180 more, including Robert GRIMSHAW.

A secret Ford memo declared that those deaths and injuries cost the company £49.5 million. The cost of rectifying each vehicle was $11.

GRIMSHAW alone was awarded $125 million against Ford

The resistance from the motor industry effectively ended and safety became the name of the game

By 1986 Mercedes were fitting air bags as standard – still problems in USA with unrestrained occupants being killed by air bag deployment

NCAP testing – side impact testing introduced 31 years after frontal

Improved crashworthiness Biomechanically accurate

occupant modelling Better medical care and

improved survivability

In spite of the best of all efforts

We still see:

•1,850 people killed on UK roads (2010 statistics)

•22,000 seriously injured (2010 statistics)

•Maim and psychologically scar many thousands more

Cost per fatal estimated at £1.4 to 1.6 million

Picking up the pieces – the Police Collision Investigator

Identify the cause or causes of accidents

Identify the cause and mechanism of injury

Improve road and vehicle design Prosecution of offenders Prevent unwarranted prosecutions Provide the best service possible

under the Road Deaths Investigation Manual Model

Delivery of accurate expert witness report to Her Majesty’s Coroner and the Courts

Why Investigate and reconstruct accidents/collisions/crashes?

What are we dealing with and what are can we consider Basic principle

Behaviour of one or more vehicles (Mechanical failure/Vehicle dynamics)

Behaviour of one or more persons (Reactions of parties involved will vary with physical and mental condition, concentration, vehicle speed)

Variations in road surface condition and layout

Weather conditions

CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS

WHAT CAN BE USED TO RECONSTRUCT AN INCIDENT

Physical Evidence In gathering such evidence, it is of the utmost importance that first, the

‘scene’ is preserved

Witness Evidence

Can prove unreliable and may be dependant on;

Character and age Position Perspective Preconception Post incident influences (Trauma, peers etc)

Specialist Evidence

Forensic scientist/researcher Human factors expert Forensic meteorologist Metallurgist Tyre analyst Vehicle examiner Mathematician etc.

UNDERPINNING EVERYTHING (after proper scene preservation)

DETAILED AND EXHAUSTIVE SCENE EXAMINATION

COMPREHENSIVE AND ACCURATE RECORDING OF THE SCENE AND EVIDENCE

SCENE RECORDING AND SURVEYING METHODS

•Chain and tape

•Imagery/Photogrammetry/Aerial

•Total Station

•HDS 3D laser scanning

Primary methods

A NEW GOAL HOW TO SAVE TIME CONSUMED BY ROAD CLOSURES (AND STILL DO THE JOB)

‘Every scene is different’

‘Every collision investigator works at a different pace’

But the collision investigator just gets one chance to record everything that will be required

2008/2009 HIGHWAYS AGENCY STUDY AND INITIATIVE

FOR THE STRATEGIC ROAD NETWORK

Driven by the need to address the issue of delay

and inconvenience caused by the length of time

the Police consume in dealing with incidents where the right to pass and re-pass by the public

is prevented or interrupted

PROJECT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

TO MINIMISE DURATION OF ANY ROAD CLOSURE AND THUS

DISRUPTION TO ROAD USER

ADDRESS THE NEED TO SECURE AND PRESERVE

EVIDENCE

but

EQUIPMENT

HDS 3D LASER SCANNERS

INITIAL TESTS AND FAMILIARISATION

SCANNING OF MILITARY AND OTHER ASSETS TO ASSESS RETURNS FROM COMPLEX

SHAPES/ANGLES, SURFACE TEXTURES AND MATERIALS

SCANNING DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER AND AT VARYING

RESOLUTIONS TO DETERMINE OPERATING LIMITS

Time surveying the target area scenes (high speed routes/complex) reduced More comprehensive data collection throughout the survey Accuracy maintained or improved upon Satisfactory output could be delivered in relatively short time frame Output could be kept simple or as complicated and detailed as required Traffic flow and pedestrian movement could be maintained where safe and appropriate although there was a post incident processing trade off

INITIAL FINDINGS

IF SAVING TIME WAS YOUR ONLY GOAL you may be missing a trick

Incident Junction 38, M62 – 2011

RTC c0400 hours Call to scene from home 0430 hours Arrival c05.45 hours 5 stations @ 10cm x 10cm at 100m (6m 49s) Scene examination Imagery Preliminary vehicle examination Recovery on scene 0730 hours CI Leaves scene 0745 hours Off-slip reopened c0800 hours

COMPLEX AND LABOUR INTENSIVE SCENES

10 SCANWORLDS – DATA COLLECTION OVER 3.5 HOURS (Estimated saving over GPS/TPS of c50% of traditional survey time)

IMAGE REMOVED COURT CASE PENDING

Following download and registration of scans, almost instant 3D perspectives of scene available to brief Senior Investigating Officers and Prosecutors

IMAGE REMOVED COURT CASE PENDING

Surface gouging, scratching, scuffing, marking

DEFAULT RESOLUTION PROVIDED A SUFFICIENTLY DENSE AND DETAILED SURVEY FROM WHICH FINE DETAIL AND DATA COULD BE EXTRACTED WITHOUT THE NEED TO FOCUS ON ANY PARTICULAR AREA

(Exceeds GPS/TPS capability/consistency)

DETAIL THAT CAN BE INTERROGATED

INCREASED CAPTURE HORIZON

Data captured from 7 stations on one road Resolution – 10cm x 10cm x 100m

IMAGE REMOVED COURT CASE PENDING

Device set up at 25 – 35m centres (Raining throughout survey)

IMAGE REMOVED COURT CASE PENDING

Views from specific positions, lines of sight, obscuration

Maintenance of traffic flow where safe

UNEXPECTED BUT USEFUL BENEFITS

Accurate representation of surface features, changes in material, worn features, fluids etc

Positions/dimensions (witnesses/debris/objects)

Recording of position/extent of fluids/tissue

‘Operating in a temperate, maritime climate’

OUTPUT METHODS

Simple for swift output - orthographic plan view in ‘greyscales’, cleaned, scaled and annotated

Orthographic plan view converted to line drawing (several software suites/programmes capable of use for converting from

orthographic plan view of point clouds)

3D HDS LASER SCANNED SCENE

TO 2D OUTPUT

3D MODELLING, RECONSTRUCTION OR SIMULATION

ANIMATED RECONSTRUCTIONS

SERVICE BUS v PEDESTRIAN

Thank you