Organizational form
The Hanover Traffic Accident Research Institute collects accident data for road safety research. The connection to the Accident Surgery Clinical Department and cooperation with the Department of Motor Vehicles at the Technical University of Berlin ensures that scientific findings are continuously incorporated into the work of accident research.
A recording team consisting of 2 technicians, 1 physician and 1 coordinator is available to record the accident. The coordinator has the task of leading the team according to the statistical sampling plan. The team has 2 emergency vehicles at its disposal. The alarm is raised by the police and fire department.
If a traffic accident with personal injury is reported and this is one of the selection criteria for the sample, the recording team drives to the scene of the accident. The emergency vehicles are equipped with various measuring equipment, among other things, with which the accident site is measured. By documenting the traces of the accident and vehicle damage, it is possible to reconstruct what happened. Furthermore, extensive surveys are carried out, including on
- environmental conditions
- structural features
- road design
- traffic regulations
The vehicles involved in the accident are examined in detail with regard to
- vehicle deformations
- impact points of occupants or external road users
- Technical characteristics such as vehicle type and technical equipment
The persons involved are questioned regarding
- the course of the accident
- Personal data
- Driving license, duration of vehicle use and other special features
Vehicles involved in the accident that cannot be examined at the scene of the accident are measured promptly by a reworker.
The medical professional integrated into the team drives to the scene of the accident in a separate vehicle. He begins documenting the care of the injured and the medical measures at the scene of the accident. At the hospital, he then completes the information about the patient's further care. The type, severity and localization of the injuries are documented, as this is the only way to compare the injuries sustained with the technical causes and develop measures to prevent injuries. It goes without saying that our employees are trained in the initial treatment of accident patients so that they can provide assistance if necessary and support the emergency services working on site.
The data collected is fed into an accident database in anonymized form, which then forms the basis for all further studies. Depending on the type of accident, around 500 to 3000 individual pieces of information are recorded for each accident. Every year, around 1,000 accidents involving personal injury are recorded in the Hannover Region.
Data quality and the protection of personal rights (Data Protection and medical confidentiality) are paramount in our work.
