Vehicle Accident Analysis and Reconstruction Methods

A number of books already exist on the topic of accident reconstruction. With some notable exceptions, many of them are tomes devoted to how the authors and perhaps a few colleagues used intuition and insight to decide how they thought an accident happened. In a few cases, these books are collections of “war stories” or case histories, usually presentations of one view of the events. In contrast, this book is one of methods. The perspective taken here is that accident reconstruction is a field of applied science, namely, an application of the principles of science, mathematics, and engineering, and is a quantitative endeavor.

The same principles of mathematics, physics, and engineering that allow us to safely race vehicles over 200 mph, build space stations, and navigate the depths of the oceans can be used to reconstruct vehicle accidents. A concerted goal of this book is to raise the analytical level of accident reconstruction practice such that commonly known scientific, engineering, and mathematical methods increasingly become a more common part of the field. Intended for seasoned practitioners and those entering the field of accident reconstruction, the topical coverage is aimed at the problems reconstructionists encounter from day to day and the types of methods used. Readers are guided through a multitude of practical, useful, and informative examples that show how, when, and why many of these problems occur – key requirements for designing safer vehicles, handling insurance claims, and litigating court cases. Representing a significant improvement in the level of quality and rigor in the presentation of reconstruction analytical techniques of light and heavy vehicle crashes, this book is an invaluablereference for consultants, lawyers, engineers, students, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, police departments and academies, insurance companies, and those involved in the field of accident reconstruction.