TIPS FOR THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR
SPONSORED BY DU MÉTIER

OBSERVATIONS AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE

It is of the utmost importance that proper observations are due on the scene, before and during the taking of measurements.Proper notes must be made on the rough sketch of all observations made at the scene.

1. TARRED ROAD/CEMENT ROAD

• -Speed limit
• -Public or private road
• -Soft or hard
• -The width of the road: measure positions of white lines, barrier lines and indicating arrows on the road surface of the road, ie. Is it smooth or rough; good or poor; new or old tar
• -presence of potholes, partial disintegration of and humps on the surface;
• -the slope of the road;
• -the camber of the road;
• -the grade of the road;
• -was the road dry or wet?
• -was sand or loose stones, washed, blown or driven onto the surface of the road; or has it been accumulated by tyre action.
• -are the edges of the tarmac uneven or crumbling
• -are the edges of the tarmac higher than the adjacent gravel steps and what is the difference in height;
• -are the edges of the tarmac bordered by curbing cement strips, drainage or holes?
• -are the adjacent edges bordered by gravel portions on which robots and other objects appear; and
• -tyre-marks, skid-marks, scratch-marks, blood stains, etc.
• (Measure tyre marks)
• -are there any crash barriers on the side of the road
• -are there any embankments next to the side of the road
• -are there any cat eyes on the road eg. Square, rounded colour
• -are there any road signs

2. GRAVEL ROAD

• -Speed limit
• -entire width of the graded road
• -entire width which can be travelled on;
• -type colour and nature of the material of which the road is made eg. Soft, hard, sandy, white gravel, pot-clay etc.
• -presence of potholes, corrugation, loose sand, gravel or stones, etc;
• -was the road wet or dry? And
• -was the road graded recently?
• -is the road in a built up area?
• -do animals have access to the road eg. Broken fences.

3. GRAVEL PORTIONS AND SIDEWALKS NEXT TO THE ROAD

• -Width of gravel portions and sidewalks;
• -presence of culverts and gutters;
• -traffic signs, electrical and telephone poles, trees, shrubs, grass, buildings and hedges;
• -how far are the nearest fences from edges of the road?
• -are gravel strips passable?
• -if the vehicle must swerve, can it travel on the pavements, gravel strips and grass portions?
• -are there any turn-off roads, junctions, footpaths, etc.
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4. STREET LIGHTNING

• -Day or night
• -exact position of all street lights;
• -were the street lights switched on?
• -are there any unilluminated areas between the street lights; and
• -are there any other lights in the vicinity which illuminate the area, eg. Illuminated shop windows, etc.
• -the colour of the lights eg. Yellow, white etc.

5. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

• -Did it rain recently;
• -was it raining at the time of the accident?
• -was the road wet?
• -misty weather, snow or hail;
• -was there any wind storms or gusty wind?
• -the position of the sun, especially at sunrise or sunset.
• -Could the driver have been blinded by the sun? And
• -the position of the moon, eg. Was it full moon
• -was it a very warm or very cold day (use of aircon or heater).

6. VISIBILITY

• -How far could the driver see the road in front?
• -was his view obstructed by curves, trees, bushes, advertisement signs etc.
• -are there any obstruction such as buildings, hedges, etc. at intersections?
• -were road signs clearly visible or were they covered with mud or dust; if so, take a photo.
• -was his view obstructed by smoke, dust, rain or mist or the lights of approaching traffic?

7. VEHICLES

• -Type of vehicle eg. Passenger, goods, emergency, combi, LDV, truck, tractor etc.
• -Check if keys are in ignition or wires pulled out (possible stolen vehicle).
• -Registration number, fleet number SAPS number etc.
• -Make and model of vehicle
• -colour of the vehicles
• -exact description of damages to vehicles
• -other previous damages to vehicles
• -attempt to determine from which direction the damage was caused
• -try to ascertain what caused the damage
• -the condition of the tyres, eg. Worn, burst or cut tyres (if possible take tyre pressure).
• -were the tyres damaged before or during the accident, are all tyres the same size, tyre pattern.
• -are the head lights, dim lights, parking lights and stop lights in working condition
• -in the case of heavy vehicles, are the compulsory chevrons at the prescribed position and are they clean and visible
• -are the foot-and hand brakes in good working condition
• -is the hooter in working condition
• -is the vehicle a left or right hand drive
• -condition of wind screen and wind screen wipers
• -what are the kilometre readings of the vehicles
• -general condition of the interior and exterior of the vehicle
• -are there any loos objects, such as cool drink bottles and empty beer tins, etc. in the vehicle
• -length and width of vehicle (measure)
• -height of the cab and coach-work, especially in the case of lorries
• -how far does the carriage overlap the wheels
• -is the vehicle fitted with a rear-view mirror and does it diminish the image of vehicles approaching
• -are there any objects at the rear window obstructing the rear view
• -are there any objects hanging from the rear view mirror that could district the driver's attention
• -are seatbelts fitted and were they warn a the time of the accident
• -were the aircon, heater, radio etc. on at the time of the accident
• -position of gearlever (manual or automatic) disabled persons use

8. PEDESTRIAN (VICTIM)

• -What was the condition of the pedestrian (sober, smelling of alcohol etc)
• -was he dressed in dark or light coloured clothes, especially at night (or reflective)
• -was the victim clearly visible or was his visibility limited by any object and
• -distance to and position of the victim when he became visible for the first time
• -Position: on roadway, sidewalk, verge
• -Manoeuvre: Facing traffic, back to traffic, crossing road
• -Action: walking, running playing etc.

9. CYCLES

• -Is cycle fitted with mudguards
• -is cycle fitted with front and rear reflectors
• -is cycle fitted with front and rear lights
• -are the breaks in working condition
• -damage to cycle
• -type, mountain bike, for male or female
• -size of wheels
• -was the cyclist wearing visible clothing and a helmet
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10. MOTOR CYCLES

• -Size of cycle, eg. Tri-cycle, quadra cycle, 125 cc and under above 125 cc
• -was driver protectively dressed
• -was a helmet warn (open or full face) was it fastened correctly
• -was he carrying any load
• -was the lights and reflectors in working order

11. HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS

• -Are there adequately side visibility eg. Reflectors if a truck had to turn and are they clean, bent inside or outside.
• -Are there a tacho graph fitted / If possible remove tacho and on rear sign place date and time
• -Type of load on vehicle
• -was any load hanging over / was there a spillage
• -what was used to tie down the load eg. Chain, straps, sail, etc.
• -temperature of the brake drums on each wheel of each vehicle and heat of tyres when touched by hand (very hot, cold)
• This will tell if the brakes were applied, balanced. The heat of the tyre indicates to tyre pressure difference.

THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS AND CASES INVOLVING MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION : ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 29/1989

• Culpable Homicide (where a person is killed)
• Reckless or Negligent driving c/s 120(1) serious injuries, Ac 29/1989 - state vehicles, traffic violation, continue to driving under the influence.
• C/s 118(1)A -Failed to stop vehicle immediately after accident.
• C/s 118(1)B -Failed to ascertain extent of injuries after accident.
• C/s 118(1)C -Failed to render assistance to injured person after accident.
• C/s 118(1)E -Failed to give his name and address at scene of accident.
• C/s 118(1)F -Failed to report accident within 24 hours.
• C/s 118(1)G -Took liquor after accident.
• C/s118(2) -Removed vehicle from scene of accident where person was killed or injured.
• C/s118(2) -Failed to mark position of vehicle before removing it from scene of accident where person was killed or injured.
• C/s121 -Drove motor vehicle inconsiderately AG R500-00
• C/s122(1) -Drove vehicle under the influence of liquor.
• C/s122(2) -Drove vehicle with an excessive amount of alcohol in blood
• C/s14(2) -Used a motor vehicle which is not registered and licenced.
• C/s15 -Drove a motor vehicle without a licence.
• C/s84(1) -Failed to comply with direction of road traffic sign
• C/s125 -Possession of false drivers licence
• C/s117(2)(A) -On foot on freeway
• C/s251 -Drove m/v without PDP
• C/s348(4) -No seatbelt (failing to wear)

12. ESTABLISHING THE POINT (AREA) OF IMPACT

• -By accurate observation at the scene of accident, the point/area of impact can be established in most instances.
• -This point/area of impact might differ from the point of impact which was pointed out by other witnesses.
• -Every alleged point/area of impact should, however, be indicated on the sketch plan.

13. CLUES TO ESTABLISH THE POINT/AREA OF IMPACT

• -Tyre marks which are running straight up to a point, and then stop suddenly or swerve at a sharp angle
• -pieces of broken glass at the scene of the accident
• -mud and dust on the road surface coming from the undercarriages of vehicle
• -scratch or scrape marks on the surface of the road made by metal or other objects
• -bits of bone, blood and hair adhering to the surface of the road
• -damage to vehicles
• -personal property of pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist
• -oil and water stains on the surface of the road, and
• -place and position in which vehicles came to a stand still
• -measure from area of impact to sides of road, measure to all vehicles.

14. OBSERVATIONS OF A SUSPECTED DRUNKEN DRIVER

• -Attitude: Excited - hilarious - talkative - carefree - sleepy - profanity - combative - indifferent - insulting - cocky - co-operative - polite
• -Breath: (Odour of alcoholic beverage) strongly - moderate - faint - none
• -Unusual
• Actions: Hiccoughing - belching - vomiting - fighting - crying - laughing
• -Speech: Not understandable - mumbled - slurred - mush mounted - confused - thick tongued - stuttering - accent, fair/good
• -Eyes: Red? Very - moderate - slightly
• Check for signs or complaints of injury
• -Balance: Falling - need support - wobbling - swaying - unsure - sure
• -Walking: Falling - staggering - stumbling - swaying - unsure - sure
• -Observers
• Opinion: Effects of alcohol - heavily - obvious - moderate - slight - none
• -Ability to
• Drive: Fit - unfit

Important measurements to be taken

• Length and width of all vehicles
• Entire width of road
• Edge of road to yellow lines
• Yellow line to centre of road
• Distance between white centre lines
• Length of skid marks
• Distance between all vehicles
• POI to vehicles
• Fix point to POI vehicles
• Width of skid mark

Where Ped are involved

• POI to where Ped landed
• Distance from m/v to Ped
• Position of m/v, Ped etc to edge of road
• POI to side of road
• POI to middle of road
• Width of side walks
• Width of centre medians
• Distance to blind rises

Points to remember in connection with drunken driving

• 1. Time of offence start of 2 hour period
• 2. Time of arrest
• 3. Time scene left with suspect
• 4. Time and place of arrival where District Surgeon and sister are requested to take a blood sample
• 5. Time examination starts
• 6. Time examination ends
• 7. From where was blood drawn eg. Left
• 8. Outer seal number
• 9. Inner seal number
• 10. Name of person taken sample
• 11. Alcometer number
• 12. Alcometer reading
• 13. SAPS 13 number for handling in sample.

Forms required for D/S

• SAPS 308A request form
• GW7154 Doctors report form
• Station and CAS number
• Blood sample contained (not damaged)

Details that need to be obtained at an accident from drivers

• 1. Name and surname and ID-number
• 2. Race and age and sex
• 3. Home and work physical addresses and tel.number
• 4. Cell number if available
• 5. License code and date of issue
• 6. Injuries
• 7. Ambulance number and hospital
• 8. Breakdown and address
• 9. Kilometre reading
• 10. If vehicle has other number eg. SAPS number etc.
• 11. Passengers names and surnames and addresses and tel.number

For SAPS Vehicles

• 12. Drivers force number and rank
• 13. On or off duty
• 14. Branch or unit
• 15. Dress
• 16. Made and admissions of liability
• 17. Exact location of accident scene.

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