New Toolbox For Car-Crash Investigators
Car-crash investigators now have more technology at their disposal to solve how these events occur and to assign liability. Black boxes, much like those used on airplanes, or even data recorders will reveal speeds, braking, and the throttle of vehicles seconds before impact, and many motorists are unaware of their presence, even though auto manufacturers are installing them readily.
In addition to the black boxes, police officers and investigators are now relying on lasers and computer analyses to determine how crashes occur instead of physically measuring skid marks with rulers, special wheels, and tape measures. The laser measurements and information now collected at the scene can be plugged into software that will create maps of the scene and determine how cars could have reacted when struck.
Police are hopeful that the devices and technology will help them solve more fatal accidents, and manufacturers are hopeful that black box data will help them improve safety systems on their vehicles.
In spite of all these new technologies, however, police departments still note that scene investigations can take an inordinate amount of time to analyze and gather evidence.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Washington Post (07/03/05) P. C1; Wilber, Del Quentin .