The Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators upcoming events

Free Webinar - Motorcyclist Airbag PPE: An Alternative EDR Inflating the Survivability Margin of Rider Crashes (8 Apr 2026)

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT

The Institute will be presenting the next webinar for the membership [and guests] on Wednesday 8th April 2026 at 15:00 BST. [please ignore any error in the automated emails where the time might be shown as being in a different zone]

Andre Doria

will be discussing

‘Motorcyclist Airbag PPE:
An Alternative EDR Inflating the Survivability Margin of Rider Crashes’

ABSTRACT

Airbag technology that is commonly associated with passenger vehicles has been integrated into motorcyclist street riding protective apparel roughly over the past decade. The majority of the modern-day designs are based upon an electronic system that monitor rider kinematics to activate deployments. Less known is that these devices contain EDR capabilities that can provide a new data source for motorcycle crash reconstruction. This research describes the airbag PPE construction, sensors, data capabilities, testing results, and data validity of airbag vests from three major motorcycling apparel manufacturers. A live demonstration deployment will be performed.

PRESENTATION SUMMARY

This presentation will introduce an alternative motorcycle crash EDR data source contained within modern rider protective apparel, the motorcyclist airbag vest. The history, construction, operation, arming criteria, and recorded data parameters of three mass-produced airbag devices will be shown along with a review of the EDR data from crash testing. A discussion of the airbag vest injury mitigation benefits and a live deployment demonstration will conclude this presentation.

TOPICS

Motorcyclist airbag vest technology history
Device anatomy, hardware, sensors, and power capacity
Interface and operation
Arming criteria
Deployment conditions
Data capabilities
Data parameters
EDR data testing/review
Protective benefits
Live demonstration deployment

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Motorcycle crash reconstructionist Dr. Andre Doria is the co-founder and CTO of Compass Kinetics—a motorcycle forensic consulting firm based in Southern California—as well as a motorcyclist training instructor for the California Highway Patrol's California Motorcyclist Safety Program and for Total Control Training, North America’s largest provider of advanced motorcyclist training. He has served as a director on the board of California Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists and is the Director of Research & Applied Sciences at Total Control Training. As a motorcyclist, Dr. Doria’s riding spans hundreds of thousands of miles and includes street, track, and off-road riding. Having extensively motorcycled North America, Central America, and Europe, Andre holds a certified membership with the Iron Butt Association for endurance riding. As a crash reconstructionist, his interests include motorcyclist EDRs, motorcycle collision dynamics, rider behavior, and advanced photogrammetry and multimedia analysis.

Advanced Analysis of Drivers’ Responses (Human Factors in Traffic Crashes) (11 May 2026)

Mon, 11 May 2026 08:00:00 GMT

The Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators announce the provision of a training course in Advanced Analysis of Drivers’ Responses (Human Factors in Traffic Crashes), Presented by: Dr Jeffrey W. Muttart.

To be held between 11th May and 15th May 2026, 09:00 to 17:00 BST [please ignore any error in the automated emails where the time might be shown as being in a different zone] . The course will be presented as an online "webinar" using the 'Zoom' platform.

This five-day training course will include training in various topics relative to human factors, including but not restricted to:

Perception-Response time
Response to slow-moving or stopped vehicles on multilane high speed roads
Night-time recognition
Drivers’ decision making
Interactive driver research in the areas of: speed choice (speed reduction) due to various influences/conditions; gap acceptance; pedestrian walking speeds; acceleration; forward and backward acceleration of cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles; driver’s responses to green and amber traffic signals

The students will receive five full days’ training and their knowledge will be tested at the end of the course. Students will be accredited with their attendance and the course will attract a minimum of 30 hours CPD.

Charges cover training for the five days; a copy of the latest edition of Dr Muttart’s reference book ‘Drivers’ Responses in Emergency Situations’; and a 30-day trial of the ‘Response’ (previously IDRR) programme.

Free Webinar - Non-CDR Data Applications (20 May 2026)

Wed, 20 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT

The Institute will be presenting the next webinar for the membership [and guests] on Wednesday 20th May 2026 at 15:00 BST. [please ignore any error in the automated emails where the time might be shown as being in a different zone]

Patrick Ryan

will be discussing

‘Non-CDR Data Applications’

ABSTRACT

In many jurisdictions, crash data has become ubiquitous in the field of collision reconstruction, whether in the context of the Bosch Crash Data Retrieval (“CDR”) system, or similar manufacturer-specific implementations such as Hyundai / Kia or Tesla. However, these data sources are relatively uncommon in some jurisdictions or may provide little or no useful information in some types of incidents. This is particularly the case when the collision event is of low severity from the perspective of the vehicle (e.g. pedestrian or bicyclist impacts), or when no collision occurred (e.g. theft recovery). Other sources of data exist, whether integrated within vehicular systems or external to those systems, that can yield data applicable to crash or fraud investigations. Case studies are provided to demonstrate the use of Toyota Vehicle Control History data, Berla iVe infotainment data, and Strava fitness tracking data.

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While completing his Mechanical Engineering degree at Memorial University in 1994, Patrick worked for the Road Safety Directorate of Transport Canada in Ottawa. During his time at Transport Canada, Patrick co-authored a paper on air bag deployment for presentation at the 1993 annual CATAIR seminar. Following graduation, he worked briefly for an accident reconstruction firm in Ontario, before moving west to continue working in the field. Patrick has been involved with over 5000 motor vehicle accident investigations since 1994, and he has also staged many crash tests. Patrick has been accepted as an expert witness at both the Queen’s Bench and Provincial court levels in Alberta, as well as at comparable courts in other jurisdictions. Patrick specializes in large losses, with particular interest in occupant restraints (including air bags), crash data recovery, and collision simulation. Patrick is a member of the Canadian Association of Technical Accident Investigators and Reconstructionists (CATAIR), the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals (CARSP), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Accident Reconstruction Network (ARC), and the National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists (NAPARS).

The ITAI 'Crash Day' 2026 (18 Jun 2026)

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMT

"Crash Day" from the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators

June 2026 sees the return of our very successful research day, and for this year a new venue, the former RAF and USAF airfield at Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire.

This new venue will offer the same essential research crashes along with 'driver experiences' including vehicle handling and HGV driving, a really useful addition to your CPD.

As ever, you can attend - for free - and view many staged crashes as well as engaging in those participation experiences.

So, book early to avoid disappointment, as when capacity is reached, we will have to stop accepting bookings.

Rules of Attendance

Your ticket will be issued on the understanding that you attend this event at your own risk. The Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators can take no responsibility for any loss or injury to persons or property during the running of the 'crash day'.

Your attendance at the events confirms your acceptance of the above and your agreement to follow the instructions of ITAI staff, organisers and council whilst at the event, included but not limited to vehicle parking and driving, routes to be walked and places to stand etc.

You will be required to attend the safety briefing at, or shortly after, 9am, at which guidance regarding the day will be given, and to which your attendance at the day confirms your agreement to abide with those instructions.

For a sample of what you might see, here is a compilation video from 2022: https://youtu.be/ciRL4qdOJC4

There will also be a number of static displays, as well as numerous Exhibitors in the Marquee and some live presentations.

Free Webinar - From Scene to Survival: A Systems Approach to Road Injury and Post-Collision Care (15 Jul 2026)

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The Institute will be presenting the following webinar for the membership [and guests] on Wednesday 15th July 2026 at 11:00 BST. [please ignore any error in the automated emails where the time might be shown as being in a different zone]

Tim Nutbeam

will be discussing

‘From Scene to Survival: A Systems Approach to Road Injury and Post-Collision Care’

ABSTRACT

Road injury is not a single clinical event but a system response that begins at the moment of impact. The Road Injury Chain of Survival provides a framework for understanding how early recognition, rescue, initial care, transport and definitive hospital management interact to influence outcomes.

This session will introduce the Road Injury Chain of Survival and explore how scene characteristics, collision dynamics, vehicle damage patterns and entrapment features relate to early morbidity and mortality. It will examine which interventions appear most closely associated with improved outcomes, where the evidence gaps remain, and how better integration of clinical and investigative data could strengthen both injury prediction and system performance.

The aim is to encourage discussion about how we can work across traditional boundaries - identifying the data points that matter most, understanding mechanisms of deterioration, and improving the overall post-collision response.

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Professor Tim NutbeamMB ChB PhD FRCEM FIMC FRRHH MSc
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Consultant in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine
Professor of Emergency Medicine and Post-Collision Care

Tim is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at University Hospitals Plymouth and a Consultant in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine with Devon Air Ambulance. He is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Post-Collision Care at the University of Plymouth and Director of IMPACT – The Centre for Post-Collision Research, Innovation and Translation.

His work focuses on extrication science, entrapment, injury prediction and systems-level improvement in post-collision care. He has led national and international research examining how collision characteristics, rescue practices and early clinical decision-making influence patient outcomes, with particular emphasis on translating evidence into practice.

Free Webinar - Evaluation of Photogrammetry Survey Techniques for Forensic Collision Investigation (14 Oct 2026)

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The Institute will be presenting the following webinar for the membership [and guests] on Wednesday 14th October 2026 at 11:00 BST. [please ignore any error in the automated emails where the time might be shown as being in a different zone]

Michelle Gowan

will be discussing

‘Evaluation of Photogrammetry Survey Techniques for Forensic Collision Investigation’

ABSTRACT

3D photogrammetry is increasingly recognised as a valuable tool in collision investigation, enabling the creation of accurate 3D point clouds of vehicles, scenes, and loci from a series of photographs. These models can not only document and preserve scene evidence but can also support advanced analysis including sightline assessment and camera matching, where photographs or video footage can be aligned with a reconstructed 3D environment to interpret physical evidence or vehicle/pedestrian movements.

This presentation will provide an overview of how photogrammetry works, practical guidance on achieving the best results in field applications, and an evaluation of different photogrammetric techniques and image capture methods. It will also compare the performance of several software packages (Agisoft Metashape Standard, Agisoft Metashape Professional, 3DF Zephyr Full Edition, and RealityScan) to a benchmark 3D laser scanner.

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Michelle Gowan is a Consulting Forensic Engineer with Denis Wood Associates, Dublin, Ireland. Michelle has investigated more than 400 road traffic collisions since 2016 and has provided expert witness evidence in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. She holds a master’s degree in engineering from Queen’s University Belfast and an honours degree in Forensic Road Collision Investigation from De Montfort University. She has carried out and published independent research in photogrammetry in forensic collision investigation.