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Lesson 11. Traffic Accident Investigation

This document provides an overview of traffic accident investigation, including defining key terms, discussing the importance and purposes of investigation, identifying causes of accidents, and outlining the typical chain of events. It aims to determine the 5 Ws and 1 H of incidents through investigating the scene, collecting data, reconstructing how the accident occurred, and analyzing causes to help prevent future accidents. Accidents are classified according to type of event, severity of injuries, and causal factors like road conditions, driver behavior, and non-compliance with traffic laws.

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1K views5 pages

Lesson 11. Traffic Accident Investigation

This document provides an overview of traffic accident investigation, including defining key terms, discussing the importance and purposes of investigation, identifying causes of accidents, and outlining the typical chain of events. It aims to determine the 5 Ws and 1 H of incidents through investigating the scene, collecting data, reconstructing how the accident occurred, and analyzing causes to help prevent future accidents. Accidents are classified according to type of event, severity of injuries, and causal factors like road conditions, driver behavior, and non-compliance with traffic laws.

Uploaded by

bwaaah alfie
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Module 3.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION


Lesson 11. Traffic Accident Investigation

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, students shall be able to:
a. Define important terms related to the lesson.
b. Discuss the importance of traffic accident investigation.
c. Identify the causes of accident.
d. Design preventive measures to avoid or prevent the accidents.
e. Recall the chain of events in a traffic accident.

MATERIALS:
Handout in Traffic Management

LESSON PROPER:
DEFINITION of TERMS
Accident - It is that occurrence in a sequence of events which usually produces unintended injury,
death, or property damage.
Traffic Accident - It is an accident involving travel transportation on a traffic way.
Motor Vehicle Accident - These are events resulting in unintended injury or property damage
attributable directly or indirectly to the action of a motor vehicle or its loads.
Key Event - It is an event on the road which characterizes the manner of occurrence of a motor
vehicle traffic accident.
Debris - These are scattered broken parts of vehicles, rubbish, dust and other materials left at the
scene of the accident caused by a collision.
Skid Marks - These are marks left on the roadway by tires which are not free to rotate, usually
because brakes are applied strong and the wheels locked.
Impact - It is the striking of one body against another or a collision of a motor vehicle with another
motor vehicle.
Contact Damage - It is the damage to a vehicle resulting from direct pressure of some foreign object
in a collision or roll over. It is usually indicated by striations, rub-off of material or puncture.

Traffic Accident Investigation


Generally, to know what question to ask and what to look for, you must have some
fundamental bearing on accidents and their causes. When you speak of traffic accident, everybody
knows what you mean – SOMETHING WENT WRONG on the highway, either a wrecked car,
somebody is injured or possibly killed.

What Traffic Accident Investigation Determines?


It aims to know the 5 “Ws” and 1 H of the incident: what happened, who and what was
involved, where did it happen, why did it happen, when did it happen and how did it happen?

Purposes of Traffic Accident Investigation


1. Everyone involved is curious about the causes and circumstances of the accident.
2. For the police – to find out whether there is enough evidence of law violation in the accident.
3. Claims attorneys and adjusters want to determine negligence on the part of the drivers
involved in the accident so that damage claims can be properly adjusted.
4. Officials and others want specific information about accidents to know how to prevent
future accidents.

Kinds of Traffic Accidents


1. Non-Motor Vehicle Accident - It refers to any accident occurring on a traffic way involving
persons using the traffic way or travel or transportation, but not involving a motor vehicle in motion.
Example: pedestrian and cyclists in a traffic way.
2. Motor Vehicle Non-Traffic Accident - It refers to any motor vehicle accident which occurs
entirely in any place other than a traffic way. Example: accident on a private driveway.
3. Motor Vehicle Traffic Accident - It refers to any motor vehicle accident occurring on a traffic
way. Example: collision between automobiles on a highway.

Classification of Motor Vehicle Traffic Accident


A. According to Key Event
1. Running off road - This is usually characterized by a motor vehicle falling on the roadside or on a
cliff along mountainous roads.
2. Non-collision on road - This does not involve any collision an example of which is overturning.
3. Collision on road - This type of accident includes all forms of accident as long as there is a
collision. Examples of these are motor vehicles colliding with:
a. Pedestrian – may be walking, running or standing on a roadway.
b. Other motor vehicle in traffic – may be head on, head and rear, sides opposite direction,
sides the same direction, head and side collision, etc.
c. Parked motor vehicle
d. Railroad Train
e. Bicycle
f. Fixed objects
g. Other objects

B. According to Severity
1. Property Damage Accident - There is no fatal or injury to any person but only damage to the
motor vehicle or to other property including injury to animals.
2. Slight - It includes only slight damages to properties.
3. Non-Fatal Injury Accident - This results in injuries other tan fatal to one or more persons.
4. Less Serious - It involves only less serious injuries to persons.
5. Serious - This causes serious injuries to persons.
6. Fatal - This results in death to one or more persons.

Causes of Motor Vehicle Traffic Accident


1. Simultaneous Factors
a. Road conditions
b. Driver’s attribute or behavior
c. Weather condition
2. Sequential Factors
a. Speed is greater or less than safe.
b. Defective vehicle (vehicle malfunction)
3. Operational Factors
a. Road hazards
b. Driver’s non-compliance to traffic laws, rules and regulations
4. Perceptual Factors
a. Driver’s inability to react promptly to a situation.
b. Driver’s faulty action to escape collision course.

Chain of Events in a Vehicular Accident


1. Perception of Hazard - It is seeing, feeling, or hearing and understanding the usual or unexpected
movement or condition that could be taken as sign of the accident about to happen.
2. Start of Evasive Action - It is the first action taken by a traffic unit to escape from a collision
course or otherwise avoid a hazard.
3. Initial Contact - The first accidental touching of an object collision course or otherwise avoids a
hazard.
4. Maximum Engagement - It is the greatest collapse or overlap in a collision. The force between the
traffic unit and the object collided with are greatest at maximum engagement.
5. Disengagement - It is the separation of a traffic unit in motion from an object with which it has
collided. The force between the object ceases at this time.
6. Stopping - This is when the traffic unit/s involved come to rest. It usually stabilizes the accident
situation.
7. Injury - It is receiving bodily harm. This event does not necessary occur after the accident but
within any of the chain of events. It may also happen right after the evasive action taken by the drivers
involved or during the initial contact.

Point of Possible Perception - It is the place and time of which the hazard could have been perceived
by a normal person. It precedes actual perception and is the beginning of perception delay.
Point of No Escape - It is that place and time after or beyond which the accident cannot be prevented
by the traffic unit under consideration.
Perception Delay - It is the time form the point of possible perception to actual perception.
Final Position - It is the place and time when objects involved in an accident finally come to rest
without application of power.

Five Levels of Activity in Accident Investigation


1. Reporting - This stage involves basic data collection to identify and classify a motor vehicle, traffic
and persons, property and planned movements involved.
2. At-Scene Investigation - This level involves all action taken by the investigator at the scene of the
crime or accident.
3. Technical Preparation - This involves delayed traffic accident data collection and organization for
study and interpretation.
4. Professional Reconstruction - This involves efforts to determine from whatever information is
available, how the accident happened.
5. Cause Analysis - This final level usually involves final analysis on the causes of accident which are
bases for the prevention of another accident.

Enhancement ACTIVITY:
Log in to your dashboard
Assessment. Log in to your dashboard (study this lesson and be ready for a quiz)

REFERENCES:
Refer to your note

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