The European Roads Policing Network (ROADPOL e.V.), based in Münster (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) is a network of European traffic police forces. The nongovernmental organization coordinates actions across Europe to enforce regulations in the transport sector.

Role of Vehicle Data in Crash Investigations

Most collisions in road traffic are (partly) caused by human error. To avoid driver misbehavior and the resulting crashes, injuries, and fatalities, there are traffic rules that are monitored by police and municipalities. Traffic monitoring measures are therefore an important contributor to road safety and to the achievement of Vision Zero’s goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities.

When a crash occurs, the police are in demand: the recording of traffic incidents is a central field of activity in close cooperation with the road traffic authorities. In all European countries, the police are expected to secure evidence for criminal and civil proceedings in the event of a traffic crash. This is primarily in the interest of those involved in the traffic crash. In this case, there is usually a person who caused the event and a victim whose rights are safeguarded by the police documenting the crash. Civil proceedings for compensation for material, physical, and psychological damage after a traffic incident sometimes drag on for years. The less concretely and evidentiarily the police can determine the causes of a crash, the more difficult it is for victims to assert their claims later. Evidence-based investigations are therefore victim protection in practice. Findings from road incident recording and analysis are also the basis for successful crash prevention and form the basis for road crash statistics and research.