PROBLEMS OF DETERMINING CAUSE OF SPECIFIC ACCIDENTS

Also considered are formulations of opinions about circumstances of accidents for claim-settlement purposes. The author found that tabulations of objective data on traffic accidents concerning circumstances or conditions which may be observed after the accident are reliable and useful for statistical analysis. Tabulations of conclusions concerning circumstances which were not reliably observed, however, are likely to be misleading. Experts with technical knowledge and practical experience are required to form proper conclusions. The training which the ordinary police accident investigator receives is generally inadequate for the job. The author recommends that, if police are required to make conclusions, this should be done under carefully safeguarded conditions - the types of conclusions should be limited, only specialized police should be used, and the methods for collecting and analyzing data should be strictly specified only then will such police conslusions be considered reliable enough to form a sound basis for action. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

  State Office Building, 200 Mero Street
  Frankfort, KY  United States  40622
• Authors:
  • Baker, J S
• Publication Date: 1963

Media Info

• Pagination: 28 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Crash investigation; Data collection; Insurance claims; Loss and damage claims; Police; Statistical analysis; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00141747
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Criminal Justice Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: Report 1112
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 4 1977 12:00AM