You are driving down a residential road at dusk, your eyes adjusting to the fading daylight, when suddenly, an oncoming vehicle blinds you with its headlights on main beam. This triggers your pupils to constrict and leaves you temporarily unable to fully perceive the surroundings. The traffic lights ahead have changed to red, but you…
The unexpected can always happen; imagine driving along a road when a vehicle ahead brakes sharply without reason. Hopefully you are able to brake in time to prevent a collision from occurring. For a driver in a recent case dealt with by TRL, this was the exact scenario they faced. Unfortunately, the driver was driving…
Beyond the glitz of Formula One, many thousands of motorsports enthusiasts participate in events around the country every year in a wide variety of disciplines; be it on two, three or four wheels. Sadly the well-known phrase “Motor Racing can be Dangerous” becomes a reality for some participants, officials, and spectators. It is important that…
Victoria Eyers describes an investigation into a road traffic collision involving horses. In 2015, on the A3 in Surrey, a multi-stage, multi-vehicle collision occurred involving two escaped horses and resulting in fatal injuries to both animals. The passenger of a minicab involved in the collision also received catastrophic injuries. TRL’s expert Victoria Eyers was instructed…
Dr Richard Lambourn considers the scenario in which a person is stuck under a car: would the driver know? Happily this is a rare event, but when it does occur, either accidentally or as a result of a deliberate assault, it is appropriate to ask, what awareness would a driver have that there was someone…
Recent years have seen an enormous proliferation in the use of electric scooters (e-scooters) on UK roads. Whilst in some geographic areas these have been monitored and controlled as part of designated trials, there has also been widespread unregulated use. With this increase, both as part of public hire schemes and of privately owned devices,…
An unexpected knock on the door by an unfamiliar face wearing a police uniform is the unfortunate reality many people face when someone they know has been the victim of a road crash. Having been through the initial shock, many people are often thrust into a process that involves the police, the courts, and the…
Imagine you are driving on a quiet single carriageway road. You are in a relaxed frame of mind; your speed is moderate. You then see a car coming towards you on your side of the road: it does not seem to be overtaking any other traffic, it is simply driving, apparently quite steadily, on the wrong side. What do you do?
Craig Arnold discusses the potential for audio analysis in collision investigation. Video footage is becoming increasingly prevalent in investigations and often video analysis is carried out to determine a whole range of matters, including speed. Audio recordings can also help draw important conclusions when investigating a collision, which would otherwise be lost, however the importance of the audio stream can often be overlooked.
As the 25th anniversary approaches of the fatal collision involving Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed, our expert Iwan Parry reflects on TRL’s role in the investigation and the pioneering approach which not only provided much needed answers but also advanced collision investigation methodologies as a whole.
