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In recent years a new collaboration has been formed between highway safety researchers and the medical community. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have sponsored crash investigation studies in which accident reconstructionists work in conjunction with Level I Trauma Center staff. For the first time, the detailed analysis of crash circumstances and injury producing mechanisms is developed in concert with a forensic analysis of injury producing forces and tissue response. Long term patient outcome and rehabilitation costs are also addressed. This paper compares the methodologies employed in this trauma based research with those of other major data systems. It describes the background and focus of each research program and addresses the data needs that can be met.

This paper addresses key safety aspects of which the professional accident investigator should be aware while conducting an examination of a motor vehicle that has been potentially contaminated with bloodborne pathogens. Bloodborne pathogens hazards are defined and identified, and the typical mechanisms of exposure, pathogen longevity (specific to the crashed vehicle environment), and the consequences of exposure are addressed. As advice on exposure avoidance, “universal precautions” are reviewed, which includes proper attire, appropriate safety equipment and basic safety procedures and technique. This paper concludes with a review of decontamination procedures, an employer's responsibility, and shipping of contaminated and decontaminated materials.