June 2005 - Accident Reconstruction Newsletter

Welcome to the June 2005 issue of the Accident Reconstruction Newsletter. We have reformatted the newsletter a little bit to make it a little easier to read. We are also trying to convert all articles to PDF format so you can view/save/print the articles you want.
Please use the links below to view this months featured articles. Note: you can use the "Back to Index" link to return to this index.

• CDR Users Conference
• Crash Data Goes to Court
• Analysis of Speeding-Related Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes
• Breath Test Refusals in DWI Enforcement: An Interim Report
• Poor Quality Collision Repairs Alters Timing of Air Bag Deployment
• Motor-vehicle safety issues for wheelchair-seated occupants
• Tractor-Trailer ABS Brake Testing on Dry Pavement
• Used CDR System Kit for Sale
• ARC Network New Members
• Events, Conferences and Seminars
• Accident Reconstruction News Articles
• Become a Member of the ARC Network

Crash Data Retrieval User's Conference
CDRtool Users group, ARC Network, Collision Safety Institute, Vetronix, NAPARS and others.

Mark your calendar for February 13-14, 2006 for the first Crash Data Retrieval User's Conference. This 2-day conference will be held in Dallas, TX at the Embassy Suites Hotel. The ARC Network along with Vetronix, Collision Safety Institute, NAPARS, CDRtool User's Groups and others are working together to bring CDR User 's the latest information on this technology.

If you would like to present a paper at this conference, please email the ARC Network (arc@accidentreconstruction.com) with your proposed topic.

More information about this conference can be found at www.crashconferences.com.

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Crash data goes to court
Technology could be key in the trial of a man charged with vehicular homicide.
By Sherri M. Owens | Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer

TAVARES -- Traffic experts used to rely on math equations and skid marks to tell whether a motorist was driving recklessly before a crash.

But new technology is changing the way traffic cases are tried in court.

Many vehicles now come equipped with devices similar to the flight-data recorders, popularly called "black boxes," found aboard airplanes. The automobile devices provide computer-produced charts and graphs that, when properly interpreted, can supply detailed information about what a driver was doing seconds before a collision.

The technology has helped prosecutors win a conviction in a Florida courtroom at least once, in Broward County last year.

Lake County prosecutors plan to use the technology in an upcoming case. This time, the debate is not about the science but the reliability of the analysts who interpret the data.

>> Read Full Article

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Analysis of Speeding-Related Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes
NHTSA Technical Report

This study analyzes speeding-related motor vehicle traffic fatal crashes using NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Of interest are characteristics of drivers that are speeding as well as the extent of this problem in the states. The analysis is presented along major categories of interest that are likely to affect speeding like environmental, behavioral and vehicle-related factors. A separate section discusses the extent of speeding-related crashes by state.
>> Read Full Article

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Breath Test Refusals in DWI Enforcement: An Interim Report
An Interim Report (NHTSA)

Breath test refusal rates nationwide have remained stable at about one-quarter of all drivers arrested for DWI from 1996 to 2001. States with statistically significant changes in refusal rates are split evenly between those with increases and those with decreases. In five case-study States, first-time offenders generally constitute the majority of those arrested for DWI and a majority of those refusing the breath test, even in those States where it is to their advantage to take the test. First-time offenders often do not understand the consequences of taking or refusing the test. In many States, repeat offenders refuse the test more frequently than first-time offenders. In all 5 case-study States, consequences of refusal are less for repeat offenders than the consequences of taking and failing the test. In Connecticut and Maryland, submitting to the breath test is usually beneficial for first-time offenders. The report discusses possible strategies States and jurisdictions can implement to decrease breath test refusals.
>> Read Full Article

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Poor Quality Collision Repairs Alters Timing of Air Bag Deployment
By Courtesy I-CAR

Proper structural repair is even more critical with air bags than with seat belts. Why? Because the stiffness and crushability of the structure is what tells the air bag sensor when to deploy the air bag. If the sensor has been altered due to a repair, the air bag may not open at the right time. Since the time to deploy the air bag is so short, deployment must occur at the right time in order to cushion the occupant.
>> Read Full Article

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University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
Motor-vehicle safety issues for wheelchair-seated occupants

I am an accident researcher at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We have conducted research on car crashes for many years, and have started a new study to perform in-depth investigations of motor-vehicle crashes involving wheelchair-seated drivers and passengers as part of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center on Wheelchair Transportation Safety.

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of motor-vehicle safety issues for wheelchair-seated occupants, to identify areas and issues of motor-vehicle injuries that are unique to wheelchair-seated occupants, and to evaluate the performance of the wheelchair and wheelchair-securement involved in crashes. Results from this study will be used to improve protection of wheelchair-seated occupants involved in crashes by guiding future safety research. Results will also be used to provide information to consumers and transit providers on the safest way to transport wheelchair users when traveling in motor vehicles.

We are trying to establish a network of contacts to notify us of motor-vehicle crashes of wheelchair-seated occupants.
>> Click here for information on how to participate in this study

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Tractor-Trailer ABS Brake Testing on Dry Pavement
By James Crawford, Henry Lipian, Dale Dent, Dale Meyer, Ted White & Scott Danniger

Little testing has been done to determine how antilock braking systems (ABS) affect the stopping characteristics of tractor-trailers on dry roads. Recently INTROTECH, Inc. performed several tests with tractor-trailer rigs to gather braking performance data on rigs both with and without ABS systems, and we have prepared an article covering our skid testing.
>> Read Full Article

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Used CDR System Kit for Sale
Contact: Paul Wood - (781) 828-3200 or by WoodAPI@aol.com

I purchased the Crash Data Retrieval Unit in November of 2003 and it has never been used. It is new in the case. If you need it, I can provide the sales order number. I am willing to let it go for $1900.00 - buyer pays shipping - buyer can pay thru www.paypal.com and use woodapi@aol.com as the payment email address. Or you may contact me directly for arrangements.. Paul Wood - (781) 828-3200 or by WoodAPI@aol.com

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ARC Network New Members

Please welcome the newest members of the ARC Network.

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Events, Conferences & Seminars

The ARC Network host a comprehensive calendar of events relating to the accident reconstruction and traffic accident investigation industry. New events are always being added. Some of the events that have just been added:

• IATAI Conference - September 2005
• TAARS Annual Conference - September 2005
• WATAI Fall Conference - October 2005
• CDR Users Conference - February 2006

View the entire Events Calendar

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Accident Reconstruction News Articles

The ARC Network continually posts news articles relating to accident reconstruction, traffic accident investigation and automotive safety. The newest articles are always posted on the ARC Network's homepage and all the archived articles are posted in the AR News Section.

Following are the news articles posted in June 2005:

June 30, 2005:
ATV Safety Institute Summer Safety Alert For All-Terrain Vehicles

June 28, 2005:
Honda to Supply Crash Test Data for Cars

June 27, 2005:
Intersection Improvements Reduce Senior Driver Injuries at Rate Much Higher Than Other Age Groups, According to AAA Michigan

June 24, 2005:
Britax Announces Recall of Super Elite Child Restraint

June 22, 2005:
(UPDATE) U.S. says rollover ratings of SUVs improving

June 22, 2005:
U.S. says rollover ratings of SUVs improving

June 19, 2005:
Family cars get top marks in crash tests

June 13, 2005:
Ford recalls nearly 260,000 trucks, SUVs, vans

June 9, 2005:
GM Will Build Rollover Crash Test Facility

June 9, 2005:
Yamaha recalls motorcycles in U.S. to fix seats

June 8, 2005:
Autoliv Shows New Rollover Protection System

June 6, 2005:
Nissan Maxima, Suzuki Verona Get Marginal Ratings From Insurance Industry in Side-Impact Tests

June 3, 2005:
GM to recall over 291,000 Saturns

June 3, 2005:
Safe Brakes Are No Accident

June 2, 2005:
Swedish Truckmaker Volvo Recalls 13,000 Trucks Worldwide for Steering Failure

June 2, 2005:
Government Opens Probe of Hot-Selling Hybrid Toyota Prius Amid Reports of Engine Stalling

<< Back to Index

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Please direct any questions regarding this issue of the Accident Reconstruction Newsletter to
the ARC Network

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Any comments, questions or suggestions should be e-mailed to the ARC Network.

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