Prior to a formalised unit being formed, serious traffic accidents were investigated by Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Branch. On June 1, 1970 this practice was discontinued and the Traffic Accident Appreciation Squad (TAAS) was formed in the Brisbane Metropolitan Traffic District. The Squad consisted of uniformed personnel from the Traffic Branch along with experienced Detectives and its main function was to appreciate the circumstances surrounding all serious road accidents in the Metropolitan Traffic District and to collate all available information to determine evidence of negligence by any person. Squad members were also tasked to prepare necessary reports and correspondence about accidents for the Coroner. In the first year of the Squad’s existence 563 road accidents were investigated and reported upon.
In early 1979 the word “appreciation” in the Squad name was changed to “investigation”. The Squad’s aim was to investigate all accidents involving fatalities and all other accidents involving serious injuries where a suggestion of criminal negligence existed. In the early 1990s when the role of the Squad changed significantly, the name was changed to Accident Investigation Squad. Officers attached to the Squad had wide ranging expertise in traffic policing; investigative skills, tyre technology and mechanical, surveying and drafting experience. In April 2007 the name Forensic Crash Unit was adopted to highlight that road crashes and other incidents attended by the unit were rarely ‘accidents’.
Modern Forensic Crash Unit investigations do not rely solely on the recollections of witnesses or victims – but involve the application of physics to establish how a crash occurred and the use of Computer Aided Design programs, photogrammetry, laser scanning and total station surveying instruments to record physical evidence for use in collision analysis. The role of the unit is not confined solely to the investigation of serious traffic crashes but also includes the responsibility for the investigation of serious injury and fatal aircraft, railway and industrial incidents and electrocutions.
This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.
The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT: Investigating Traffic Crashes” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode