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 Accident Reporting and Investigation

When an accident occurs involving a motor vehicle, whether on a public road or on private property, a number of aspects need to be considered.

Firstly, there are legal requirements.  If the accident occurred on a public road, the driver of the vehicle will have to comply with the duties specified in the National Road Traffic Act.  If, on the other hand, the incident occurred on private property, the Occupational Health and Safety laws will come into effect.

Secondly, in addition to any legal requirements, there will be various company requirements to be fulfilled, including an investigation to determine the real cause of the accident and prevent a recurrence.

The most difficult part of any investigation, regardless of fatalities or injuries, is to stay impartial and without prejudice of any kind.  There must be no emotion shown which could indicate the contrary as this could prejudice the outcome.

Chapter 1: Legal Requirements

  • National Road Traffic Act
  • Occupational Health and Safety Act

Chapter 2: Company Requirements

  • Introduction
  • Basic rules for the operator
  • The real cost of accidents

Chapter 3: Accident Investigation Team Activities

  1. The accident investigation team
  2. Site inspection
  3. Physical examination of vehicles
  4. The driver’s report
  5. Witness reports
  6. Driver’s record and medical history
  7. Police reports and case number
  8. Social worker’s/counsellor’s report
  9. Vehicle maintenance and repair history

Chapter 4:      Heavy Vehicle Brakes

  • Introduction
  • Definitions
  • Legal requirements
  • Energy and motion
  • Foundation brakes
  • Air brake systems

Annexure A: PROCEDURE FOR TESTING THE BRAKING SYSTEM OF A VEHICLE THAT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT

Annexure B: TESTING AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS

Chapter 5:      Road Wheels and Tyres

  1. Introduction
  2. Legal requirements
  3. Tyre construction
  4. Wheel fixings

Annexure A: PROCEDURE FOR CHECKING THE TYRES OF A VEHICLE THAT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT

Chapter 6:      Interpreting Photographic Evidence

  1. Case study 1
  2. Case study 2
  3. Case study 3
  4. Case study 4

Chapter 7:      Vehicle Fires

  1. Where and how did it start?
  2. Tyre fires
  3. Electrical fires
  4. LPG road tankers

Chapter 8:      Preparing the report

  1. The accident report

Annexure A: GENERAL GUIDELINES ON REPORT WRITING

Chapter 9:      Presenting Evidence

  1. Presenting evidence to your legal team
  2. Presenting evidence in court
  3. Mistakes to avoid in court

Delegates will be required to prepare a proposed procedure, based on the course content, to be followed in investigating future incidents affecting their own organisation to be submitted to top management.