Forensic collision investigator
Forensic collision investigators use science and engineering to investigate the causes of road traffic and vehicle related incidents.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- attend the scene of fatal and life-threatening road traffic collisions
- examine vehicles and vehicle parts
- create plans of the scene and make time and distance studies
- work out vehicle speed through the amount of crush damage
- check tachograph information on vehicles
- get technical information from vehicle manufacturers
- produce reports
- give evidence to the investigation team or the Courts
Working environment
You could work on the road or in an office.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could move into management or work on a freelance or consultancy basis.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of public safety and security
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
- the ability to use your initiative
- excellent verbal communication skills
- analytical thinking skills
- excellent written communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- be over 18 years of age
- have a full driving licence
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- working towards this role
- applying directly
- specialist courses run by professional bodies
You could get into this job by taking a course through a professional body like AiTS. Courses include:
- University Certificate of Professional Development (UCPD) Forensic Road Collision Investigation
- Foundation Degree in Forensic Road Collision Investigation
The certificate is the starting point if you want to become a forensic road collision investigator and have no experience of investigating road collisions. You would then move on to the foundation degree.
After the foundation degree, you can 'top up' to the BSc (Hons) Professional Studies in Forensic Road Collision Investigation.
Qualifications are offered on a part-time basis through a mix of online and classroom learning.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 or 3 A levels, including maths or science, or the UCPD in Forensic Road Collision Investigation, for the foundation degree
More Information
If you work as a police officer or insurance investigator, you may be able to take qualifications on the job in traffic collision investigation to move into this role.
You may be able to apply for an investigator job if you have qualifications and several years' experience in engineering, technical testing or health and safety.
You could take a private training course in road traffic investigation. It's important to check that the course you do is approved by a recognised awarding body or institution.
Find out more about a career in collision investigation from The Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators.
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.