Abstract

A correct assessment of the accuracy of various methods for conducting road accident examination and reconstruction of its circumstances can be given only on the basis of a comparative study of the same accident with a priori known circumstances and a small number of factors that significantly affect the results. Based on the results of a numerical simulation of the collision of two deformable structures simulating cars, the results of the reconstruction of circumstances, obtained by the traditional method of the autotechnical expertise of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, are compared according to the extended methodology used by a number of European countries and by a complex method using strength calculations of deformable bodies by computational mechanics. It is shown that, in addition to the length of traces of deceleration (the traditional method), significant factors that affect the accuracy of the reconstruction of the accident are the inclusion of the rotation of objects after the collision (extended technique) and the energy expended in deforming the structures during the collision (complex technique).