Methods for Investigating Road Traffic Accidents Using Modern Automated Means

The paper presents investigation methods which are aimed at increasing an accuracy in determination of parameters for movement of vehicles in the reconstruction process of road traffic accidents. The problems with a target to improve a method for calculation of vehicle movement speed and location coordinates at different time moments have been solved in the paper. In order to determine more accurately nature of vehicle damage and their location on carriageway, a laser scanning method has been applied which makes it possible to reduce an error while determining dimensions and distances, and to shorten time for an inspection of the road traffic accident place. The presence of a scanned image in three-dimensional form allows more accurately to simulate nature and angle concerning approach of vehicles prior to a collision. A methodological support for determination of vehicle movement parameters has been developed on the basis of the recorded data from driving video recorders (DVRs). It has been established that an error in measuring a speed of movement for vehicles will depend on quality of a video image, length of the investigated area and range of possible speeds. A relative error will be the higher, the smaller we have vehicle speed range and length of the investigated section. A mathematical model of vehicle speed change in a differential form has been compiled and solved in the paper. The model allows to calculate a speed of motion at different time moments with respect to recording from driving video recorders. In addition, the developed methodology permits more accurately to determine coordinates of vehicle location on a photo- and video image. This is especially important while determining places of pedestrian-road accident or vehicle collision location of the collision or the place of collision with regard to the edge of carriageway. Unlike subjective research methods when initial data for carrying out auto-technical investigations are established by interviewing witnesses and the accused, the proposed methods make it possible to permit reconstruction of a road traffic accident exclusively by objective methods with the help of automated technical means.