THE QUERY PROJECT - European Commission - Europa

• In connection with night-time pedestrian accidents, we often
discuss prolonged reaction times. The accident location, however,
is illuminated quite well. What reaction time should you
choose to favour the accused?
• Which assumption favours the accused driver: that the pedestrian
came from the right or that he came from the left?
Digital photography
In a case file treating a possibly staged accident, you receive
digital photographs showing the damage to one of the involved
cars, transferred to you via e-mail. What possible methods do
you have to check whether these photographs are authentic, i.e.
whether they have not been manipulated afterwards?
PhOTOGRAmmETRY
The proof photographs taken during radar speed measurements
have to be taken within a certain angle to the carriageway.
• How do you check from the photograph whether this angle
has been met?
• You want to draw lines on the picture which are exactly perpendicular
to the longitudinal axis of the carriageway. How
do you construct these?
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Radius of gyration: i = 0,5 L
COllISION mEChANICS
Contact point
0,4 L
A stationary passenger car (with the engine at the front) is
impacted by another passenger car from the side. In regard to the
cars involved only the damage to each is known. We now consider
three possible impact configurations:
• The contact point is at the front axle of the laterally impacted
car.
• The contact point is at the centre of gravity of the laterally
impacted car.
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L
A P P E n D I C E S
• The contact point is at the rear axle of the laterally impacted
car.
We assume both EESs to be the same in all impact configurations:
• Which impact configuration leads to the highest collision
speed for the impacting car?
• What is the ratio between the highest and lowest collision
speed calculated in the above configurations?
(Please note that the radius of gyration is half of the wheelbase
i = 0.5 L.)
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