Accidentally on purpose

Car crashes can't be predicted, so those who need to understand the effects of them arrange their own. JOHN EVANS went along to watch

- PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS GODDARD

Few people will ever witness a car crash. That's a good thing, but for the police who must understand what caused one and the lawyers and insurers who must deal with the aftermath, it's not. It's why every year the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators (ITAI) organises 'crash day', which is exactly as it sounds: a day devoted to crashing cars, to which it invites its members and people in associated services.

Of course, you may wonder why, given that Euro NCAP crash-tests the latest cars, it's necessary for the ITAI to spend a day doing the same. "Euro NCAP's tests are important but different," explains Chris Goddard, an independent collision investigator who previously did the same work in the police and who was at crash day taking photos. "Its crashes are highly controlled and about establishing how safe a car is, whereas the ITAI's are more real-world, with the aim of helping investigators understand how they unfold. Having seen a few today, [an investigator] might go to a future crash scene, see similar tyre marks and damage and say: 'I think I know what happened; I've seen that damage and those marks before'."

This year, crash day took place at Darley Moor airfield, a former RAF training base (and a low-key motorsport and track day venue) near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. High-speed crashes were carried out on a short stretch of runway, with low-speed impacts taking place on an area to the side. There were 24 crash cars, most of them family hatches that had been seized by the police or were the subject of court orders. Twelve crashes had been arranged, involving cars colliding with obstacles, such as signposts and roadside cabinets, and with stationary cars. All the cars would be remotely driven.