Minimum Guidelines for Efficiently Acquiring or Preserving Basic Information in a Motor Vehicle Accident

Simple techniques are presented for gathering and preserving motor vehicle accident data. The data are selected to meet the minimum information requirements of police, judicial, industrial, governmental, safety, and insurance interests. It is recognized that the information needs for accident investigators are as broad as the range of accident types and severities. The paper is structured so that the investigator may use it as a guide to selectively choose tasks according to their importance in documenting and reconstructing the accident and the availability of time and technical resources. A list of priorities for the data collection process which maximizes the efficiency and resources of the investigator is outlined and a cue card which may be used as an on-scene aid is provided.