Forensic Physics of Vehicle Accidents

MAR 01, 1987

The reconstruction of accidents and the analysis of the mechanisms of injury are the focuses of an emerging interdisciplinary field that is leading to safer vehicle design.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881102

Arthur C. Damask

Accidents are the third largest cause of death in America, taking 140 000 lives per year. Only heart attacks and cancer kill more people. Vehicular accidents such as the one shown in figure 1 account for 44 000 of the accidental deaths and cause 80 000 permanent disabilities through trauma to the brain or spinal cord. The direct and indirect costs of all automobile accidents run close to $60 billion per year.

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More about the authors

Arthur C. Damask, Queens College of the City University of New York.