Abstract
This paper considers the role played by technical defects in road accidents and describes the work of DEKRA in Germany in investigating the problem. Following an accident a vehicle inspection may be ordered by the police authorities or public prosecutor's office. The analysis carried out by DEKRA engineers categorises any faults as a) having no influence on the accident, b) being partially responsible for the accident, c) possibly being responsible for the accident or d) clearly being responsible for the accident. It is found that the proportion of accidents caused by technical defects increases dramatically with age. It is suggested that the time between periodic technical monitoring should be reduced for older vehicles.