New tech speeds up motorway crash investigation

Police are testing high-tech survey equipment to speed up their investigations at road crash scenes and to get traffic back up and running more quickly.

It can take six hours to clear a serious road incident because once any casualties have been removed the police have to gather evidence for their investigation.

Police in the West Midlands are testing a tripod-mounted scanner which will capture images of a wide area by using a laser beam to scan a large number of points in its field of view.

The scanner collects large amounts of data which can then be processed through software to produce high quality three-dimensional images of a crash scene.

They will also test the latest 'total stations' - electronic surveying instruments mounted on a theodolite - which measure angles between points using a laser distance measurement system.

The operator sets up the device and then investigates the crash site holding a target, which the total station will follow, recording the data. Software then converts the data into a drawing.

Police will also test systems that can take measurements from digital photographs, which can then be used to help with drawings.

The on-road trials started last month and will last until November.

Central Motorway Police Group chief superintendent Nick Croft said in a statement: "This trial will provide useful information relating to the potential for the police service to use new types of equipment. It could result in significant advances being made in relation to the quality of evidence gathered and the efficiency of the police investigation."

Around a quarter of delays on England's motorways are caused by accidents.