The Investigation of Road Accidents

Published date01 January 1939
Date01 January 1939
DOI10.1177/0032258X3901200109
Subject MatterArticle
The
Investigation of Road Accidents
By
SERGEANT
S. HAYS
Royal Ulster Constabulary
THIS is a matter which takes up a good deal of the normal
working time of police forces in busy traffic areas, and it
is of the utmost importance that the duty be carried out
in the most efficient manner; for the investigating officer is
the person who has to decide, from the results of the accident
and the actual scene as it presents itself to him, upon whom
rests the blame for the accident.
It
is hoped that the following
suggestions may be helpful to young officers who have not
yet had the doubtful pleasure of dealing with such accidents.
It
is our task to assign the blame for the
accident-not
from the point of view that someone must be punished,
but
to ensure that the person who caused the accident will be shown
just what he did wrong, and to prevent him from committing
the same error again.
It may be asked:
"But
what is a culpable accident, and
what is
not?"
A culpable accident can be defined as one
which could have been avoided by the exercise of ordinary
care and judgment on the part of one or both parties to it.
An accident may be said to be inevitable and not to involve
liability when
it
could not have been avoided by any ordinary
care, caution, or skill on the part of both parties.
Returns published periodically by the Government show
the number of accidents for given periods and also the causes
of the accidents. These returns are furnished to the Govern-
ment by the Authorities, who in their
turn
compile the figures
from reports submitted by the officerswho actually investigate
the accidents.
It
is therefore vitally important that officers who
have to carry out this investigation should do so efficiently and
impartially, in order that the true state of the causes of
accidents may be given.
10
3

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT