Not long ago, accident reconstruction relied primarily on the physical evidence left behind after a collision. Tire marks, roadway gouges, vehicle damage, scene measurements and witness statements formed the foundation of most investigations.
Those elements remain essential today. The difference is that they are now joined by an ever-growing collection of digital evidence that can provide additional insight into how a crash unfolded.
From dashcams and commercial fleet cameras to drones, event data recorders (EDRs) and vehicle infotainment systems, forensic engineers have access to more information than ever before. The challenge isn't simply collecting the data but validating it, interpreting it correctly, and integrating it with the physical evidence to develop scientifically supported conclusions.
Cameras Are Changing the Landscape
Video evidence has become increasingly common in accident investigations.
According to a recent survey, nearly 30% of U.S. drivers now use dashcams, a figure that continues to grow each year. Commercial fleets have embraced the technology even more rapidly. One industry report found that 84% of company drivers now have dashcams installed in their work vehicles, representing a 29-percentage-point increase over the previous year. Nearly 65% of commercial drivers also reported that their employers require dashcam use.
Those numbers illustrate an important trend for forensic engineers: many serious crashes are captured on video. Additionally, investigators may have access to recordings from multiple sources, including personal dashcams, commercial fleet cameras, traffic cameras, security systems, and even bystanders' smartphones.
While multiple viewpoints can provide valuable information, each recording captures only one perspective. Camera placement, frame rate, image distortion, lighting conditions, and synchronization all affect what a video can and cannot reliably demonstrate.
For that reason, video evidence is never evaluated in isolation. Engineers compare every recording against the physical evidence and established engineering principles before reaching conclusions.
Preserving Crash Scenes Before They Disappear
Unlike digital evidence, physical crash scenes are temporary.
Vehicles are removed, debris is cleared away, and weather or traffic can quickly alter roadway markings. Important evidence may disappear within hours.
Drones and 3D laser scanners have become increasingly valuable tools for documenting crash scenes before those changes occur. 3D laser scanners allow the capture of tens of millions of individual points in 3D space, allowing for millimeter-level 3D environments to be digitally preserved in full detail and color. In conjunction with 3D laser scan data, drones allow the capture of hundreds of overlapping high-resolution photographs of an accident scene in detail within minutes. Using photogrammetry, those images can be converted into an accurate three-dimensional model and scaled map-quality imagery of the roadway, vehicles and surrounding environment.
Rather than relying solely on photographs taken from ground level, investigators can preserve the entire scene from above, creating a permanent digital record that can be analyzed long after the roadway has reopened.
Building a Three-Dimensional Reconstruction
A three-dimensional model provides much more than a visual representation of the crash scene. Once the scene has been accurately documented, forensic engineers can integrate additional evidence into the digital model, including dashcam recordings, surveillance footage and other video sources.
This allows investigators to:
- Measure distances, roadway grades and vehicle positions with precision.
- Analyze vehicle speeds and timing throughout the sequence of events.
- Evaluate driver sight lines, visibility and roadway geometry.
- Compare video evidence against physical measurements.
- Virtually revisit the crash scene long after the physical evidence has been removed.
The result is a comprehensive reconstruction built on measurable data rather than assumptions.
Today's Vehicles Generate More Data Than Ever
Many modern vehicles record far more information than most drivers realize.
Event data recorders (EDRs), also known as your vehicle's "black box," may capture information such as collision severity, vehicle speed, brake application, throttle position, steering inputs, seat belt status and other vehicle operating parameters immediately before and during a collision. In fact, Knott Laboratory can retrieve and analyze EDR information on 57 makes and 700 models of vehicles.
In many cases, investigators may also have access to data stored within infotainment systems, connected devices or telematics platforms. Depending on the vehicle, these systems can provide additional context about navigation activity, communications, connected devices or vehicle operations before the collision.
Each source contributes another piece of the puzzle, but none tells the entire story on its own.
At Knott Laboratory, engineers evaluate digital information alongside vehicle inspections, roadway evidence, scene documentation and witness information to determine whether all available evidence supports a consistent reconstruction.
Technology Supports the Science
As vehicles become more connected and video becomes increasingly common, accident reconstruction continues to evolve. Digital evidence has expanded the tools available to forensic engineers, but it has not changed the scientific principles that guide every investigation.
The role of the forensic engineer is to objectively analyze every available source of evidence, understand the strengths and limitations of each, and determine whether the facts support a particular conclusion.
Whether reconstructing crashes involving passenger vehicles, motorcycles, commercial trucks, pedestrians or bicycles, Knott Laboratory combines decades of forensic engineering experience with today's advanced investigative technologies to provide objective, scientifically supported analyses for a host of clients, from insurance providers to attorneys.
Technology captures the evidence, and science gives the evidence meaning.
