Highway vehicle accident reconstruction using Cooperative Collision Warning based Motor Vehicle Event Data Recorder

Abstract

There is often uncertainty or negligence in measurements and calculations by collecting relevant evidence and site information at the scene for the conventional vehicle accident analysis and reconstruction. Cooperative collision warning (CCW) mechanism exchanging static and dynamic vehicle information with neighboring vehicles through inter-vehicle wireless communications provides an active safety mechanism for vehicles on highways. Received information is not only used for calculating the relative safety distance between neighboring vehicles, but also preserved in a motor vehicle event data recorder (MVEDR) for future accident reconstruction. A CCW-based MVEDR can easily rebuild the trajectory and interaction between the host and neighboring vehicles within communication range. This device is a supplementary tool for conventional accident reconstruction, and it saves time, labor and cost required for investigations, and eliminates uncertainty regarding accident analysis.