Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction

Reconstruction of motorcycle and car or truck accidents is characterised by the low mass of the motorcycle and rider relative to the other vehicle, the tendency for a motorcycle to fall over and for the rider to move off the motorcycle following a collision. These factors significantly reduce the degree of accuracy of reconstruction that can be optained from current computer reconstruction programs.

However impact speed estimates may be made based on motorcycle damage and motorcycle and rider post impact travel distances.

In the past it was commonplace that the pre impact speed loss could be estimated using pre impact tyre braking marks. However, the adoption of anti lock braking (ABS) across the motorcycle fleet reduces the incidence of pre crash braking tyre marks. If there are pre impact tyre braking marks present it is possible for the pre impact speed loss to be estimated. If only a single tyre mark is seen, consideration has to be given as to whether the tyre mark had been generated by the front tyre or the rear tyre or the posibility that both tyres were braking but only one tyre locked.  Assumptions may still be made about the pre impact braking but without the braking tyre marks it may not be possible to definitively assess the pre crash speed loss.