PUBLIC ACCIDENT INQUIRIES - THE CASE OF THE RAILWAY INSPECTORATE

For over a century the public investigation of railway accidents has been an important part of the Railway Inspectorate's regulatory activity. This article examines the circumstances and conduct of these inquiries, paying particular attention to their purpose and how this is influenced by wider social and political concerns. It also traces the Inspectorate's efforts to maintain the inquisitorial rather than accusatorial style of these inquiries and discusses their possible demise as a result of a growing tendency towards a legalistic approach to accident investigation.