INGENIEUR
Care must be taken, however, to establish and
differentiate the pre- and post-collision damage.
For example, a vehicle might have been damaged
in a recent, or previous accident or it might have
suffered some damage in its removal by a tow-
truck or during the extraction of bodies trapped in
the wreckage.
2. INSTRUMENTS FOR INVESTIGATION
An accident investigator should be adequately
trained and well equipped with a proper camera
for taking photographs, and equipment for
taking various measurements and tests. All such
instruments should be examined frequently,
periodically calibrated and be well maintained.
During an on-the -scene investigation,
photographs should be taken from various
angles. Sketches and photographs of a vehicle’s
damage should be made from an overhead view.
These are particularly important for matching the
damage between the vehicles and other objects,
either photographically or diagrammatically or, a
combination of both.
For the investigation of the road features
and conditions, PWD’s investigation team have
been equipped with a number of basic testing
equipment. Some of these equipment and their
purposes are presented below:
● ●
Sand Patch Method for Texture depth;
● ●
Road Marking Reflectometer for road
markings retroreflectivity;
● ●
Traffic Sign Retroreflectometer for traffic
signs retroreflectivity;
● ●
British Pendulum Tester for skid resistance;
● ●
Radar Speed Gun for spot speed studies;
● ●
Ball Bank Indicator for advisory speed; and
● ●
Laser Range Finder for measuring
distances.
1 2 3
4 5 6
1. Ball Bank, 2. Checking retroreflectivity for road markings, 3. Checking retroreflectivity for traffic
signs, 4. Conducting sand patch method, 5. Conducting skid resistance test, 6. Taking spot speed
6
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VOL
2018
VOL 76
55 OCTOBER-DECEMBER
JUNE 2013