Lamp Examination for Traffic Collision Investigators  E-mail this product to a friend

Lamp Examination for Traffic Collision Investigators
by Tony L. Becker

This manual is a must for the traffic crash investigator who needs to determine if a collision was due, in part or by whole, to a vehicle lamp failure. Since an important part of the investigation is determining whether a bulb was or was not lighted at the moment of impact, Mr. Becker leads you through the procedures that should be followed in an investigation.

Beginning with the basic designs, materials and components of various bulbs that an investigator will encounter, the author uses photographs and drawings to explain the differences between a normal lamp and a broken one. He goes into detailed descriptions on how to examine a lamp and determine what caused the failure or breakage. In addition, he also gives you an introduction to the use of fiber-optic technology being used for vehicle lamps.

The manual includes the following chapters:

• Lamp Basics
• Introduction
• Normal Lamp
• Filament Failure
• Cold Shock
• Hot Shock
• Hot bulb Break
• The On-Scene and Follow-Up Investigations
• Securing the Scene
• Evaluation of the Scene
• Follow-up Examination
• Investigator Examination
• New Fiber-Optic Lighting Technology
• Conclusion

A Lamp Inspection Form that may be reproduced for personal or departmental use is also included.

The author, Tony Becker, is a 20-year veteran of law enforcement. He is the Chief Deputy Coroner (Traffic Crash Reconstructionist) for McLean County, Illinois and a private consultant in crash reconstruction.

Specifications: 37 pages; 8½”x11”; coil bound; 39 photographs (6 in color) and 4 drawings; Publisher: IPTM (July 1995)