WHEN VEHICLE SPEEDS CAN BE COMPUTED FROM SKIDMARKS, AND WHY

The usefulness of the tyre/road coefficient of friction appears contrary to the expectation from controlled laboratory experiments on rubber friction, but specific experiments on skidding vehicles have shown otherwise. This article is intended to show that it is possible to derive speed figures from skid marks with an accuracy of plus or minus 5%, provided certain conditions are met. These conditions are that the road should be dry, the skidding vehicle should have locked all its wheels, and that the coefficient of friction of the road is actually measured shortly after the accident. (TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  Organisation Internationales de Police Criminelle

  26 rue Arnengaud
  Saint Cloud,   France 
• Authors:
  • LAMBOURN, R F
• Publication Date: 1979-2

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 48-52
• Serial:
  • International Crime and Police Review
  • Issue Number: 325
  • Publisher: Organisation Internationales de Police Criminelle

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Coefficient of friction; Crash reconstruction; Estimating; Measurement; Motor vehicles; Rolling contact; Skidding; Skidmarks; Skids; Speed; Traffic speed
• ITRD Terms: 5460: Coefficient of friction; 5440: Contact (tyre road); 6136: Measurement; 1696: Skid mark; 1645: Skidding; 5408: Speed
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00452477
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1986 12:00AM