A: The acronym CRASH stands for the Computer Reconstruction of Automobile Speeds on the Highway.
- and...
to be complete see crash v accident
The CRASH computer program is an crash reconstruction program. With CRASH you input the vehicle properties, the impact and rest positions, and the vehicle damage measurements. The program produces approximations of the vehicle speeds at impact, the impact speed change/Delta-V (DV).
The CRASH computer program was initially created to assist the NHTSA NASS teams in determining first estimates of the impact speeds for the SMAC program.
- The original CRASH program, which utilized both piecewise-linear trajectory solution procedures and a damage analysis procedure, was created to provide an initial estimate for the SMAC computer program for use in the NHTSA NASS investigations.
- The rationale for the use of the CRASH program by NHTSA was that for their NASS statistical studies, the average error in severity determinations is more important than any individual errors. NHTSA understood the importance in statistical research for the uniform interpretation of crash evidence
- Question and answer mode
- When first created in the early 1970s, now more GUI orientated,
- Vehicle categorization,
- Again back in the day, now based roughly on vehicle tests (see our 1987 comments to SAE members, which remain true today)
- Single step solutions procedure,
- No need to iterate as it WAS a first approximation technique created for uniform interpretation of damage evidence for use in NHTSA NASS statistical research
- and...Most importantly
- Low cost,
- Back in the day things were done on the McAuto computer timeshare system so every run cost $$
- Low cost,
Now fast forward 40+ years and many software vendors and crash reconstructionists use CRASH, without any modifications to improve the accuracy, in individual crash reconstructions.
For additional information, please see:
- The Algorithms of CRASH, paper presented at 2001 SECCC, Aug 2001
- NHTSA CRASH3 Technical Manual - 1986 NHTSA collection/summary of CRASH papers
- From the McHenry Forum Topic on CRASH:
- Is CRASH damage analysis a virtual relationship?
- Should a CRASH type damage analysis include induced damage?
- "No Damage Intercept" of CRASH
- Crush Coefficients Conversions: CRASH (McHenry), Campbell, WinSMASH (Prasad)
..and more, see the McHenry Forum and specifically the McHenry Forum topic CRASH and Damage Analysis