ACTAR Evidence Documentation & Interpretation 5

Question 1

A 'furrow' in soil or grass at a crash scene is most useful for establishing:

Accepted Answer

The vehicle's direction of travel and trajectory after leaving the roadway

Answer

Furrows left in soil or vegetation by a vehicle document its post-roadway trajectory, heading, and path as it traveled across terrain.

Question 2

For a crash reconstruction report to be admissible under Daubert standards, the methodology used must be:

Accepted Answer

Tested, peer-reviewed, have known error rates, and be generally accepted in the scientific community

Answer

Daubert requires scientific testimony to be based on methodology that has been tested, peer-reviewed, has known error rates, and is generally accepted within the relevant scientific community.

Question 3

What is the correct procedure when an investigator arrives at a crash scene and finds that critical tire marks have already been partially obscured by rain?

Accepted Answer

Document the remaining visible portions with photographs and measurements, noting the degradation

Answer

Remaining visible evidence should be documented immediately with photographs and measurements, with clear notation of the degradation, as partial evidence is better than no evidence.

Question 4

Which vehicle damage feature most directly indicates the height of a striking or struck object?

Accepted Answer

The vertical location of the principal contact area (PCA) on the vehicle

Answer

The vertical position of the principal contact area on the vehicle's structure directly indicates the height above ground of the object or vehicle that caused the damage.

Question 5

When using photogrammetry to extract measurements from crash scene photographs, which condition is MOST critical for accurate results?

Accepted Answer

Known control points with precise coordinates must be visible in the photographs

Answer

Photogrammetry requires identifiable control points with known 3D coordinates present in the images to scale and orient the photogrammetric model accurately.

(ACTAR) Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstructionist Practice Test

(ACTAR) Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstructionist Practice Test

ACTAR Evidence Documentation & Interpretation 5