Can accident investigator measure speed before impact

[Icetrap]

Hi! Just a curious thought: (Nothing happen to me btw, but just wondering) I was discussing with a friend just now.

 

Question : Is the accident investigator able to measure actual speed of car before impact?

 

Example : Car A bansg into Car B. If Car A was going at, let's say 150km/hour; from the accident impact can they actually measure the speed the car A was traveling before the impact?

 

Of course, driver A will say that he is travelling at legal speed limits. But just want to know how precise and accurate our accident investigators are in Singapore!

Edited August 9, 2007 by Icetrap

[Albeniz]

(1) Tyre marks left on the scene.

(2) Estimate the speed by scrutinizing the severity of damage.

[Icetrap]

Ya but the investigator will not be at the scene. It will take time right? Do they actaully go down and measure the marks? Won't there me a lot of other marks?

[Albeniz]

During sudden hard application of brake (before the crash), the tyre marks left would be more prominent than the others. The marks should also match that of the car involved.

Edited August 9, 2007 by Albeniz

[Icetrap]

Thanks for answering my questions.

 

I know that there will be marks when you brake hard.

 

But the investigators will have to go down to the scene to measure it la.

[Apollo]

http://www.harristechnical.com/skid33.htm

 

most top insurers will have software to calculate accident speed

 

enuff said

[Albeniz]

An easy way would be to look at the severity of damage.

 

Based on physics:

 

Energy = 1/2 *mass*velocity^2.

The change in momentum = mv-mu.

 

They could estimate the force involved, by looking at the damage from the car.

With the mass of the cars known, the final velocity known, they could back-trek the initial velocity.

[Albeniz]

But the investigators will have to go down to the scene to measure it la

 

Unless the accident is very serious and there are lives involved.

Edited August 9, 2007 by Albeniz

[Icetrap]

Wow you sound like an expert, thanks.

 

So in the future in case I get accident, I will know roughly what speed to quote, cannot decrease too much :X

Edited August 9, 2007 by Icetrap

[Turbonetics]

reminds me of the Vios along changi coastal road.

[Albeniz]

So in the future in case I get accident, I will know roughly what speed to quote, cannot decrease too much :X

 

I would advise not to speed in the first place.

[Ivan96935sg]

Hi! Just a curious thought: (Nothing happen to me btw, but just wondering) I was discussing with a friend just now.

 

Question : Is the accident investigator able to measure actual speed of car before impact?

 

Example : Car A bansg into Car B. If Car A was going at, let's say 150km/hour; from the accident impact can they actually measure the speed the car A was traveling before the impact?

 

Of course, driver A will say that he is travelling at legal speed limits. But just want to know how precise and accurate our accident investigators are in Singapore!

 

The accident re-constructionist is the correct man for this job and usually he's engaged to reconstruct an accident scene whenever claim amount is huge or viable to do so cos not every accident scene requires it. The charges for a good foreign accident re-constructionist is extremely high.....and locally there are only a handful of them but not all can provide sound testimony.