The Adelaide Metropolitan Indepth Crash Investigation Study 2002-2005

The Centre for Automotive Safety Research (and the Road Accident Research Unit before it) has a long history of conducting indepth crash investigation dating back to the 1970s. Investigators monitor ambulance radio frequencies and drive to the scenes of road crashes at the same time as ambulances are dispatched. At the crash scene, extensive data is collected, sufficient to reconstruct the circumstances and consequences of the crash. The data include: skid marks, the final positions of the crashed vehicles, damage to the vehicles, and road conditions. An engineering survey is made of the site noting the road geometry and other relevant features. CASR interviews people involved in the crash and any witnesses at length. Each case is reviewed in detail by a multidisciplinary team to determine factors contributing to the causation of the crash and the cause of injuries sustained by those involved. In some cases this involves computer aided crash reconstruction. During 2002 to 2005, approximately 300 crashes were investigated in the Adelaide Metropolitan Area. This paper outlines the data collection activity and provides some examples of how that data has been used.