Accident investigation from the Police perspective requires in-depth investigation of the circumstances surrounding a collision and the determination of causal factors which could ultimately lead to criminal charges. Since its formation in the late 1950s, the Accident Investigation Section has been charged with the responsibility of investigating most serious and fatal collision in this State. An important addition to the tools available to the collision investigator is the science collision reconstruction. Accident reconstruction involves the detailed and sometimes complex scientific analysis of vehicular collisions. A significant enhancement used in the reconstruction of collisions is the utilisation of computer simulations to assist in this process. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of reconstructing collisions is the presentation of inherently complex mathematical acrobatics to lay persons in the court room environment. Recent advances in computer simulation techniques allow for outputs from these programs to be used as the basis for computer animation of collision sequences. (A)
Abstract