The country’s arterial roads have a wide variety. This leads to unique road accident reconstruction scenarios, sometimes with distinctly different vehicles. EU legislation distinguishes motor vehicles and trailers into 4 main categories:
Class L
Mopeds and motorcycles, as well as all-terrain vehicles (“quads”) and other small vehicles with 3 or 4 wheels. In category L the motorcycles are further divided into 2 groups (with and without side canister). There is also a subdivision for 3-wheel mopeds which have a smaller engine and a lower speed limit than motorized tricycles.
Class M
Vehicles with at least 4 wheels designed to carry passengers – mainly cars.
Class N
Vehicles designed for the transport of goods, which are further subdivided according to their size. These are mainly trucks and semi- trucks.
Category O
Trailers and semi-trailers. Heavy class trucks can have more than one axle and a very high vehicle weight. Small motorcycles can weigh as little as 100 – 300 kg. Passenger cars, light trucks and SUVs can weigh several thousand kilograms. The weight of crashed vehicles is a complicated part of car accident reconstruction. Certain characteristics of the vehicle, such as momentum, are directly dependent on weight. Similarly some collision reconstruction methodologies become increasingly sensitive as the weights of the crashed vehicles are further apart.
And not only vehicle weights dramatically affect accident reconstruction, but also vehicle equipment. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS), stability control, car suspension, wheelbase and more can affect the dynamic interaction between vehicles during a crash. For example, the friction, sometimes referred to as the friction factor, of a sliding or braking heavy-duty truck may be significantly less than the friction experienced by a passenger car sliding or braking on the same surface. Our analysts will provide relevant analysis of those vehicle characteristics that contributed to the crash. Accident reconstructionists are generally more concerned with dynamic friction. Dynamic friction, also called kinetic or sliding friction, is a measure that resists the force of motion between two sliding bodies. The friction induced between a sliding tire and the underlying road is a type of dynamic friction. Proper evaluation and application of tire to road friction, sometimes referred to as coefficient of friction, is critical when an accident reconstructionist analyzes a crash. ABS systems try to maximize friction on the road surface by not allowing the vehicle’s wheels to lock. In most cases, the maximum value of friction is actually reached just before the wheels lock.
