Introduction to Accident Investigation

Transcription

1 Introduction to ( VS Accident Analysis) 30 June 2006 PROF. YORDPHOL TANABORIBOON He is one of few people who did thankless jobs for which he gets no credit Not many things we can do for the society, so no matter how hard we try, if we can safe one life just do it Yordphol Tanaboriboon Thailand Accident Research Center Disease burden for 10 leading cause 1998 Disease or Injury 1. Lower respiratory infections 2. HIV / AIDS 3. Perinatal conditions 4. Diarrhoeal diseases 5. Unipolar major depression 6. Ischaemic heart disease 7. Cerebrovascular disease 8. Malaria 9. Road traffic injuries 10. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2020 Disease or Injury 1. Schaemic heart disease 2. Unipolar major depression 3. Road traffic injuries 4. Cerebrovascular disease 5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 6. Lower respiratory infections 7. Tuberculosis 8. War 9. Diarrheal diseases 10. HIV / AIDS Comparisons of Road Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate in Several Countries in 1998 Fatalities No. of Population (Million) Accident Rate (per 100,000 population) Accident Rate (per 100 Million veh-km) Asia Thailand Japan 18,239 10, N/A France 8, Europe German Sweden Britain 7, , America Canada USA 3,064 41, N/A Source: WHO, Evidence, Information and Policy, 2001 Road Traffic Fatality Rate in Several Countries in 1998 Fatality Rate (per 100,000 population) Year by year, the Thais are killed on the roads with an average of around 12,000 persons per year or about 2 persons per hour Thailand Japan France German Sweden Britain Canada USA It was estimated that the economic losses due to road accidents in Thailand are over 100,000 million Baht (approximately 2,500 million US$) per year, which means over 12 million Baht per hour or about 3.4% of the country GNP

2 Rationale for Accident Research Center in Thai Context Alarmed by the finding of the study in 1995, MOTC developed a comprehensive road safety master plan in 1998, with the assistance of the World Bank loan The master plan clearly stated that the lack of knowledge on accidents is a major constraint for road safety improvement in Thailand Setting Up of Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) In particular, knowledge on how, when, where, and if possible contributing factors to why accidents are prone to happen are essential for effective road safety improvement Rationale for Accident Research Center in Thai Context Recognizing the urgent needs to build up accident knowledge and research base for Thailand, the Thailand Road Safety Master Plan identified the need for establishing a Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) as a priority in its long term action plan Rationale for Accident Research Center in Thai Context However, due to lack of funding, know how and other necessary resources, such envisaged national research center has not yet been realized. It was only recently that this idea was picked up again, when the Thailand GRSP was officially launched as a partnership effort among the government, private sector and academic institutions, under the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) umbrella, which was initiated by the World Bank s Business Partners for Development (BPD) program. Therefore, Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC), has been started as a joint project between three partners: 1. Department of Highways, DOH 2. Thailand Global Road Safety Partnership, 3. Volvo Car Corporation DOH suggested that AIT will work as a consultant on behalf of DOH of the first two years of operation of TARC. Volvo Cars Corporation Department of Highways Knowledge Saves Life THAILAND GRSP Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) 2

3 Role of Each Partner Role of Each Partner Department of Highways, DOH (through the World Bank loan) is financially supported the operation of TARC for the initial period of 2 years. A total of US$350,000 budget is allocated to AIT (as a consultant) to operate TARC for the first two years. Thailand GRSP supposes to contribute a total budget of US$230,000 to TARC but initially through its member, Shell Co., Ltd., they provide a total of 165 liters/month of fuel for investigation vehicle. Role of Each Partner Volvo Car Corporation is sponsoring a TARC investigation vehicle and provides series of training in accident investigation and reconstruction. In addition, some selected Thai researchers were trained in Sweden (at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre). Knowledge Transfer by Experts from Sweden Volvo Car Corporation and Chalmers University of Technology Dr. Hans Norin Prof. Per Lövsund Objectives of Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) John-Fredrik Gronvall Anna Claësson Fredrik Moeschlin 3

4 TARC Objectives To conduct in-depth study on road accidents emphasizing on accident reconstruction research To develop a reliable database on road accident which can be applicable to other related activities To build up the network of road accident researchers and analysts for Thailand Building Up the Network of Road Accident Researchers and Analysts Another of task of TARC will be to provide advanced level of education to government officials as a multi-disciplinary including engineer, highways police, road safety planner, and nurse. These include 2 Doctoral scholarships and 4 Master scholarships which are sponsored by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation Research to be conducted by Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) The Probability of Fatality Rate and Injury Severity Level of Helmet Users in Motorcycle Crashes The Probability of Fatality Rate and Injury Severity Level of Seatbelt Users in 4-Wheelers Accident The Probability of Fatality Rate and Injury Severity Level of Helmet Users in Motorcycle Crashes This study will focus on analyzing the risk factors and probability of fatality and severity level of injury of motorcycle helmet users involved in accidents so that the risk of helmet users can be calculated (Thailand has enacted the Royal Decree on Safety Helmets effective in the Kingdom since 1 January 1996) and Reconstruction Research The Probability of Fatality Rate and Injury Severity Level of Seatbelt Users in 4-Wheelers In Thailand, the seatbelt law has been enacted compelling all 4-wheeler drivers and front-seat occupants to wear seatbelts since 1 January However, there has been no concrete study or analysis to compare the probability of fatality and injury severity level of riders who wear against those who do not wear seatbelts. Database Development To develop a prototype software application for computerized road accident database system The Geographic Information System (GIS) will also be employed to produce more accurate data The collected data are also expected to support the study on and Reconstruction which people can access through TARC website 4

5 What is an Accident Analysis? What re Accident Analysis and Accident analysis involves the analysis of MASS accident database, i.e. the database which stores information based upon routine police reports and also involves the collection and analysis of supplementary data, i.e. data which are not routinely collected by the police or hospital. What is an Accident Analysis? The supplementary data may be aimed at getting a better understanding of participant accident problems related to a particular type of accident, a particular type of road user, or a particular type of vehicle, i.e. Motorcycle Example of Accident Analysis Number of Casualties by Mode of Transport Injury Surveillance Pedestrian Bicycle Motorcycle Passenger Car Pickup/Van Truck Minibus Bus Farm Vehicle Others From 300,799 casualties, there are 229,200 casualties (76.2% ) from motorcycle Example of Accident Analysis Number of Motorcycle Casualties by Accident Type Injury Surveillance Example of Accident Analysis Number of Motorcycle Casualties by River Ages Injury Surveillance % 30.0% 45.0% 25.0% 40.0% 35.0% 20.0% 30.0% 25.0% 15.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 10.0% 5.0% 5.0% 0.0% Pedestrian Pickup/Van Motorcycle Bicycle or Tricycle Passenger Car Truck Minibus Bus Farm Vehicle Others Single-Vehicle Accident 0.0% Under Over 60 Age (Years old) From 175,975 casualties of motorcycle s driver, there are 43.3% of single-vehicle accident. Also, 20.4% is motorcycle-motorcycle accidents Group of years old river is the highest, follows by years old Teenage rider accidents are almost a half of all (43.7%) 5

6 Example of Accident Analysis Number of Motorcycle Casualties by River Ages Injury Surveillance % 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% Among them, 8,250 riders (4.6%) are under 15 years old, which is against the traffic laws What is an? Traffic accident investigation is the through examination of all elements contributing to the accident, resulting in a well-founded explanation of the series of events which occurred based upon the factual data. 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% น อยกว า 15 Objectives of a Traffic The objectives of a traffic accident investigation are to determine: WHAT happened, i.e., the type of accident WHERE the accident occurred WHEN the accident occurred WHY the accident occurred, e.g., violation of law, highway or mechanical engineering defects, etc. WHO was involved It is however impossible to devote this degree of effort and resources to more than a fraction of all accidents. In a leading European nation such as Great Britain, the number that can be given this level of attention is of the order of one percent. Why In-Depth Accident investigation and Reconstruction? It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment. Sherlock Holmes A Study in Scarlet What is What is Accident Reconstruction? Accident Reconstruction? Webster s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines a reconstructionist, As a person who builds up from remaining parts and other evidence, an image of what something was in its original and complete form. (Quoted from Vehicular and Reconstruction by Donald J. Van Kirk) 6

7 Investigator VS VS Reconstructionist The Investigator observes or study by close examination and also preserves and documents the evidence found. The Reconstructionist must take the evidence along with all the other data from various sources and rebuild the accident a microsecond at a time. (Van Kirk, 2001) Accident ccident In-Depth Analysis Framework Accident Accident Scene Person Vehicle Road & Environment Accident Reconstruction Data Collection Accident Information: Accident Date, Time, Location, Sequence, Damage Vehicle: Vehicle Type, Make, Model, Year, Maneuver, Avoidance, Accident Type, Object Contacted, Initial Impact, Most Damage Area, Fire Occurrence, Skid Mark Type, Skid Mark Length Data Collection Person: Person Type, Sex, Age, Severity, Seating Position, Protection System, Air Bag Deployed, Ejection, Condition, Alcohol Using, Drug Using Road & Environment: Accident Location, Traffic Flow, Road Surface Type, No. of Lane, Lane Width, Shoulder Width Accident Scene Accident Scene Vehicle Once reach the accident scene, team need to collect Reference Point as origin of all measurement which should be permanent point. Point of Impact (POI) as the point where the crash exactly occurred. Point of Rest (POR) as the final position of vehicle after crash. Debris and Mark would be collected both pattern and location. Vehicle deformation provides valuable information for accident reconstruction. The data can be used for speed reconstruction, impact orientation reconstruction, and occupant movement analysis. All of information would be sketched in accident scene drawing 7

8 Person Gathering person data who involved in the accident is divided into three part. Pre Crash Personality (ex. Age, Sex), Origin-Destination of a trip, How long did he/she travel, etc. Injury mechanisms Analysis of causes for occupant injuries Vehicle deformatins Interior/exterior contact Injuries Crash Post Crash Seating Position, Maneuver, Attempt Avoidance Maneuver, etc. Protection system, Air bag deployed, Ejection, Injury, Injury source, etc. With courtesy of Dr. Hans Norin, Volvo Car Cooperation and Chalmers University of Technology Accident Reconstruction In a reconstruction, we are interested in the three phases of a collision; 1. Post Impact the usual starting point of the reconstruction developed from information obtained from the accident scene 2. Impact determination of the vehicle s impact speeds, impact directions and impact location THANK YOU 3. Pre Impact determination of speeds and trajectories (usually the unknowns) 8