Traffic Crash Investigations

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Traffic Crash

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A collision, involving one or more vehicles, that causes property damage, personal injury, or death and is the result of an unintentional act.

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Driver

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Any person who drives or in actual physical control of a vehicle on a highway or who is exercising control of a vehicle or steering a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle.

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Vulnerable Road User

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A pedestrian, including a person actually engaged in work upon a highway, or in work upon utility facilities along a highway, or engaged in the provision of emergency services within the right-of-way; a person operating a bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, or moped lawfully on the roadway;a person riding an animal; or a person lawfully operating on a public right-of-way, crosswalk, or shoulder of the roadway: a farm tractor or similar vehicle designed primarily for farm use; a skateboard, roller skates, or in-line skates; a horse-drawn carriage; an electric personal assistive mobility device; or a wheelchair.

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Pedestrian

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Any person afoot.

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Motor vehicle

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A self-propelled vehicle not operated upon rails or guide-way, but not including any bicycle, motorized scooter, electric personal assistive mobility device, swamp buggy, or moped.

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Autonomous Vehicle

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Any vehicle equipped with autonomous technology.

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Autonomous Technology

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Technology installed on a motor vehicle that has the capability to drive the vehicle on which the technology is installed without the active control or monitoring by a human operator.

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Laned Highway

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A highway the roadway of which is divided into two or more clearly marked lanes for vehicular traffic.

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Limited Access Facility

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A street or highway especially designed for through traffic and over, from, or to which owners or occupants of abutting land or other persons have no right or easement, or only a limited right or easement, of access, light, air, or view by reason of the fact that their property upon such limited access facility or for any other reason; such highways or streets may be parkways from which trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles are excluded; or they may be freeways open to use by all customary forms of street and highway traffic.

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Private Road or Driveway

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Any privately owned way or place used for vehicular travel by the owner and those having express or implied permission from the owner, but not by other persons.

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State Road

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Any highway designated as a state-maintained road by the Department of Transportation.

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Roadway

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That portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder; in the event a highway includes two or more separate roadways, the term roadway as used here refers to any such roadway separately, but not to all such roadways collectively.

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Street or Highway

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• The entire width between the boundary lines of every way or place of whatever nature when any part there of is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular traffic;
• The entire width between the boundary lines of any privately owned way or place used for vehicular travel by the owner and those having express or implied permission from the owner, but not by other persons, or any limited access road owned or controlled by a special district, whenever, by written agreement entered into under ss. 316.006(2)(b) or (3)(b), a county or municipality exercises traffic control jurisdiction over said way or place;
• Any area, such as a runway, taxiway, ramp, clear zone, or parking lot, within the boundary of any airport owned by the state, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision, which area is used for vehicular traffic but which is not open for vehicular operation by the general public; or
• Any way or place used for vehicular traffic on a controlled access basis within a mobile home park recreation district which has been created under s. 418.30, F.S., and the recreational facilities of which district are open to the general public.
  

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Intersection

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• The area embraced within the prolongation or connection of the lateral curblines; or, if none, then the lateral boundary lines of the roadways of two highways which join one another at, or approximately at, right angles; or the area within which vehicles traveling upon different highways joining at any other angle may come in conflict
• Where a highway includes two roadways 30 feet or more apart, then every crossing of each roadway of such divided highway by an intersecting highway shall be regarded as a separate intersection; in the event such intersecting highway also includes two roadways 30 feet or more apart, then every crossing of two roadways of such highways shall be regarded as a separate intersection.
  

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Crosswalk

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• That part of a roadway at an intersection included within the connections of the lateral lines of the sidewalks on opposite sides of the highway, measured from the curbs or, in the absence of curbs, from the edges of the traversable roadway.
• Any portion of a roadway at an intersection or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the surface.
  

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Sidewalk

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That portion of a street between the curb line,or the lateral line, of a roadway and the adjacent property lines, intended for use by pedestrians.

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Bicycle Path

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Any road, path, or way that is open to bicycle travel, which road, path, or way is physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or by a barrier and is located either within the highway right-of-way or within an independent right-of-way.

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Serious Bodily Injury

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An injury to a person, including the driver, which consists of a physical condition that creates a substantial risk of death, serious personal disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.

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Fatal Injury

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An injury resulting in an individual’s death within a 12-month period after the traffic crash.

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Incapacitating Injury

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Visible or non-visible signs of injury, such as a bleeding wound or distorted member, usually requiring transportation to a medical facility and hospitalization.

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Non-Incapacitating Injury

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Visible or non-visible signs of injury or complaint of injury, not requiring transport from the scene.

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Traffic Crash Management

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You must take control of a traffic crash situation and conduct the resulting investigation by quickly and efficiently getting pertinent information and determining the cause of the crash.

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First Harmful Event

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The first damage or injury producing event.

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Point of Perception

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When the driver becomes aware of a danger or hazard.

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Pre-Collision Phase or Point of Possible Perception

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The earliest possible time the driver could have become aware of a potential danger or hazard.

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Evasive action

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Any action taken by the driver to alter the speed or direction of a vehicle or to avoid a pedestrian, such as applying the brakes, turning the steering wheel, or moving out of the way.

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Reaction Time

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The length of time between the point of possible perception and the start of the evasive action.

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Point of No Escape

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The point in time when the crash is inevitable, regardless of the evasive action taken.

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At-Collision Phase

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Begins with the time of initial impact or contact.

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Encroachment

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Occurs when two objects begin to enter the same space at the same time.

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Maximum Engagement

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The point at which the vehicles or other objects are crushed together to the greatest extent.

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Post-Collision Phase (Disengagement)

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The point when the vehicles separate, either naturally or artificially.

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Final Rest

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The point when all activities from the crash come to a halt.

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Types of Vehicle Damage

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Contact, Induced, and Pre-Existing

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Contact Damage

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Any damage to a vehicle resulting from the direct pressure of any object in a collision or rollover. It usually appears as scrape marks or striations on the body of the vehicle, material rub-off, such as paint from the other vehicle (called paint transfer), rubber, or tree bark, or as a puncture to or imprint on a bumper, guard rail,or other fixed object.

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Induced Damage

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Any damage to a vehicle other than contact damage; often occurs as bending, breaking, crumpling, twisting, distortion, or buckling of the vehicle metal.

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Pre-Existing Damage

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Existed before the crash. This is usually identifiable as damage which does not fit the pattern of the crash and appears rusted, dirty, or weathered.

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Area of Collision

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The location of the first harmful event, or the first damage producing event in a traffic crash

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Gouge

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Is a cut into the surface of the roadway where the surface material has been removed by some part from the vehicle. An example is when a bolt on the underside of a vehicle cuts into the pavement, leaving a trench or gouge in the road surface at the area of collision.

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Scrape

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Is a broad area of a hard surface covered with many scratches, striations, or streak marks made without great pressure by a sliding metal part.

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Runoff

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Is a liquid pool, fluid trail, or line of flow from fluids escaping from a vehicle as a result of impact. Quite often, hard impacts will make radiators, hoses, and brake lines burst.When this occurs, the liquid will run out of the vehicle onto the roadway. Often, these liquids will leave a trail from near the area of collision to final rest. While not pinpointing the exact location of the AOC, runoffs do give the general location.

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Debris

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Is loose material strewn about the road as the result of a traffic collision and can be composed of dirt, liquids, vehicle parts, and other materials from the involved vehicles.

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Vehicle Dynamics in Relation to a Crash

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The officer can consider the movement of vehicles during and after collision when determining the path of travel and assisting in locating the area of collision.

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Surface Marks

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Refers to the marks created by vehicle’s tires at a crash scene.

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Skid Mark

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Is the black mark left by a tire sliding while not free to rotate.

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Incipient Skid or Impending Skid Mark

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The beginning point of braking that leaves a light discoloration, or shadow mark, on the roadway.

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Intermittent Skid Marks

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Are a series of skid marks with long gaps (more than 15 feet) between heavy skid marks. This pattern is caused by rapidly applying and releasing the brakes.

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Skip Skid Marks

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Are a series of skid marks usually short in length with irregular intervals between them. This pattern appears when a vehicle has a sudden load shift while braking hard.

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Offset Marks

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Skid marks indicating an abrupt change in the direction of a tire due to collision forces.

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Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) Scuff Marks

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Are the patterns left by a vehicle with anti-lock brakes when a driver brakes hard. These marks do not resemble the solid skid marks.

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Squeegee Marks

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A strip of dry pavement remaining after a vehicle skids on a wet roadway.

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Furrow Mark

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A type of trench dug by locked tires moving across a soft surface such as gravel, sand, grass, or dirt.

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Scuff or Yaw Mark

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Occurs when a vehicle loses tire traction as a result of entering a curve too fast or over-steering.

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Acceleration Scuff Marks

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Result from rapid acceleration and a sudden stop, causing the tires to producegradually fading dark tire marks

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Tire Print

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A mark left by a tire rolling over a soft material such as sand, dirt, or a liquid on a hard surface, such as oil, and which leaves an identifiable pattern matching the tread of the tire.

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Primary Factor or Primary Collision Factor

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What the first injury element or driving action was.

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Field Sketch

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A rough drawing, not to scale, of the scene as the officer perceives it.

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Crash Privilege

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It stipulates the legal right of a driver to make a report or give full information regarding a crash to a law enforcement officer, which is required to complete a crash report without fear of self-incrimination.

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Changing of the Hats

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Going from a crash investigation to a criminal investigation, means the crash privilege no longer applies.

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Wheel Witnesses

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People who are available at a crash scene to establish that a suspect driver was behind the wheel.

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Hit-and-Run

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If one of the vehicles involved in a crash has left the scene.

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Contributing Traffic Violation

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Is a direct cause or contribution to the crash itself, such as a vehicle running a red light and striking another vehicle.

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Non-Contributing Traffic Violation

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Has no direct bearing on the cause of the crash, but is discovered during the crash investigation. Examples include expired tag or seat belt violations.

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Non-Traffic Violation

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Is generally a criminal offense discovered during the crash investigation. An example would be a quantity of cocaine discovered by an officer while inventorying one of the wrecked vehicles.

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Florida Traffic Crash Reports

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Are used to report traffic crashes to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

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Bird's Eye View

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Depicting a scene as if looking down from an altitude or distance, just as when sketching a crime scene.