More than 230 police officers from 19 states and Canada gathered on Tuesday anticipating something they usually dread: a high-speed car crash.
The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (LTI) Crash Safety Research program at Penn State held the eighth annual Pennsylvania State Police Accident Reconstruction Seminar at the institute's track facility.
The crash test involved a pickup truck traveling about 60 mph crashing into a stationary sedan. Zoltan Rado, director of the institute's crash safety research program, said a crash like this is called an offset head-on collision.
"This type of crash can occur on a normal two-lane road," he said. "This event is important because the police force needs some help from academics to keep up with technology and the automobile industry."
It is a refresher course for the police, and the reconstruction of the accident can help police forces learn more about the science of crashes and the hazards of occupants in the vehicles, Rado added.
Officers came equipped with digital cameras and video cameras to document the crash. Several said it was a great opportunity to further their knowledge and background in crash investigations.
"It gives us another perspective on accidents," said Brand Briggs, a police officer from Cumberland Township.
The crash allows officers who specialize in accidents and investigating accidents to sharpen their skills, said Andy Pronovost, a police officer from Atlantic City, N.J.
"You can see in real time what happens when the cars collide," Pronovost said. "Usually we get to the scene of an accident, see the end result and try to reconstruct what happened to lead up to the accident. Here we see the accident from beginning to end and gain a better understanding of accidents."
Tracie Eckstein, an officer from Baltimore County, Md., has been coming to the event for six years.
"We have to get training to keep us up to date," she said. "It really helps, and it's an event that allows officers to get to know one another, trade stories and get ideas to help with investigations we may be working on."
While the event is valuable for police officers, it would also be beneficial for students to learn about the physics of a car crash, Eckstein said. She added her colleagues have started a program in Baltimore County that shows videos of crashes and explains how Newton's laws work in these crashes.
It took about a week to prepare the crash to make sure the vehicles operated in a safe manner, Rado said. It's difficult to raise funds for an event like this, but the institute usually holds a couple crashes a year, he added.
"We're trying to invite State College High School to come to a crash similar to the one today," he said. "Basically it shows these kids what happens if you don't buckle up."
