Investigators have a goal to discover the cause of car accidents while examining one.

When the

cause of the accident is identified this can lead to accountability and a resolution to the situation. There

are different ways that investigators determine the speed of a vehicle involved in a car accident. For

example, a bumper of a car can usually take up to 10 mph of force, if the bumper is broken completely

then the investigator can estimate that the speed of the car was more than 10 mph. If there were road

skids, the investigator can estimate where the car started skidding at and using the conditions of the

road, the investigator could figure out the velocity of the vehicle. Investigators can also research specs

on the vehicles involved, researching the braking performance to determine the velocity of the car as

well. Investigators can observe the type of tires used on the vehicles during the accident as well. In

conclusion there are multiple ways to find the velocity of a vehicle in an accident, use the vehicle

information or observe the road and the area of the accident.

Certain measurements are taken at the scene of the accident that helps the investigator understand

the motion of the car and reaction of the driver. The investigator can resort to using time-distance

calculations, multiplying speed and time to find the distance of the vehicle. The investigator can

research the reaction time of a human in the car, then they could take the speed of the car initially and

multiply this information. Car accident investigators use collision physics, mainly using momentum and

kinetic energy to investigate. When vehicles collide momentum is conserved, unlike kinetic energy. An

investigator can note the mass of the vehicle(s) involved in the accident, and observe the distance of the

skid of both cars. Investigators can use this information to come to the conclusion of total momentum. If

one of the vehicles in the collision was motionless, the calculation becomes easier to figure out the

speed of the opposing vehicle. If all the vehicles were moving, total momentum can still be helpful to

figuring out the speed of the vehicles.

Using certain tables and charts can help decipher this data. Using a line chart is helpful, it allows

investigators to observe the amount of time between a driver reaching the maximum speed of the car

ride and the collision point of the car. Then the data is compared to the amount of vehicles involved in

the collision during that time. Regardless, there are many more calculations and charts that are used to

figure out the solution. A large amount of vehicular accidents occur due to speeding, in 2017 there was

roughly 37,100 fatalities in traffic. 26% of fatalities in 2017 were due to crashes in which one or more

drivers happened to be speeding. In 2017, the total percentage of speeding accidents decreased 6%,

from 2018 to 2017 around 36,600 humans were killed during vehicle related accidents. From my

research, I’ve observed and taken in information that helps me understand how important it is not to

speed, how speeding is a big cause for fatal accidents, car collisions, and injuries due to crashes. I also

learned about how investigators investigate automobile accidents, how it is related to physics and all the

things that are used and happen in between. Vehicle accident investigators use many different ways to

calculate the speed of vehicles involved in an accident. More people should be aware of speeding and

how it plays a big part in the road fatalities. Spreading this information can help lower these unfortunate

statistics of death and injury due to vehicle related accidents on the roads.

Sources:

2020 Fatality Data Show Increased Traffic Fatalities During Pandemic,

https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/2020-fatality-data-show-increased-traffic-fatalities-
during-pandemic.

Clay Dugas and Associates. “How Forensic Evidence at Crash and Accident Sites Can Help an
Investigation.” Clay Dugas and Associates, 10 Aug. 2018,
https://www.claydugas.com/blog/2016/september/how-forensic-evidence-at-crash-and-
accident-site/.

“Traffic Deaths Decreased in 2018, but Still 36,560 People Died.” NHTSA,
https://www.nhtsa.gov/traffic-deaths-decreased-2018-still-36560-people-
died#:~:text=36%2C560%20people%20were%20killed%20in,a%202.4%25%20decrease
%20from%202017&text=The%20decrease%20in%20traffic%20deaths,VMT
%20decreased%20by%20over%203%25.
“Accident / Reconstruction.” PInow.com - Find Local Investigators,
https://www.pinow.com/investigations/accident-reconstruction.