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| Cars
As Weapons |
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| Cars as weapons
are less common for murder than for road accidents, but do occur from
time to time. Whether the driver was drunk, on drugs or simply a reckless
and homicidal driver, cars can become weapons just as fearful as loaded
guns. |
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Select one of the topics below to read more:
--> Recorded
at the scene
--> The
driver
--> Computer
reconstruction
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| Recorded
at the Scene |
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Forensic
scientists play a vital role when it comes to collecting and
analysing evidence to reconstruct exactly what happened. Investigators
look for evidence to verify how fast the car was going, in what
direction the car was moving, and whether the driver tried to
brake. Evidence missed during the investigation is lost forever,
because if the incident occurred on a busy highway, investigators
are under intense pressure to complete the investigation and
allow traffic to flow again. Sketches of the road, detailing
of the measurements and recording of the locations of skid-marks
must be done. Photos taken from an angle can be used in certain
computer software to reveal the distance of the marks left on
the road. The type of car and its mass are logged for further
reconstruction of the crash. |
| *Cars
as weapons can create an illusion of an accident. Photo courtesy
of www.freefoto.com. |
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| The
Driver |
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| Identifying who
was driving the car is sometimes a difficult task, as passengers
can be thrown from their seats and a surviving driver may attempt
to switch the blame to a passenger that died. These claims are
analysed in the laboratory, where with the help of medical examiners,
the truth as to who was driving can be found out. During a crash,
the airbag is expelled and traces of evidence such as hair,
make-up, skin and blood are left behind. Airbags tend to cause
distinct facial injuries. The pedals in the car and the driver's
shoes mark each other and if the occupants of the car were wearing
seatbelts, bruising on the shoulder can reveal which side of
the car an occupant was sitting on. |
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| *Blood
is removed from from the windscreen of a car for analysis. Photo
courtesy of
University of Lancasterschire. |
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| Computer
Reconstruction |
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| Reconstruction of the crash involves
a complex computer program, for example, PC-Crash, which recreates
the crash scene. The program works backwards with the data it receives,
so the operator enters information such as the vehicles resting position,
the mass of the vehicle, the type of vehicle, the radius and the length
of the tyre-marks found on the road. The program is then able to use
the calculations to estimate the speed and direction of all the vehicles
involved before the final impact. This reconstructed animation can
be used as evidence in a court of law. |
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