No 'black box' to help find cause of accident

Last updated at 15:45 04 January 2007


The coach in today's crash did not carry a 'black box' recorder, National Express admitted.

Accident investigators had hoped the vehicle - a modern Neoplan Skyliner - was fitted with the airline-style computer.

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It would have recorded the speed and the driver's actions, including whether he swerved or braked heavily. But National Express said it was only

experimenting with black boxes.

The absence of a recorder means police investigators could now take months to determine

the precise cause of the crash.

They will follow the Association of Chief Police

Officers' detailed Road Death Investigation Manual, which stipulates that a fatal accident

must be treated as an unlawful killing - in effect turning the crash site into a crime scene.

Officers will have to investigate the driver, the coach, the state of the road and any other vehicles involved. It means interviewing

eyewitnesses and a fingertip search of the crash area.

Investigators will focus on:

• Road condition: was it in a good state of repair? Did the coach meet an obstruction?

• Driving conditions: how may the weather have affected the road and the driver's ability?

• Did the occupants of other vehicles witness the accident?

• Condition of vehicle: had the coach received its monthly MOT equivalent, far more rigorous than for cars? Had it been checked by the driver before the trip to ensure, for example, that fire extinguishers and hammers for breaking windows in an emergency were in place?

• Possible driver error. The coach had two drivers aboard and was a short way into its

journey from Victoria. Strict rules govern intervals between breaks and hours of driving

per day, week or fortnight. Drivers must have a 10-hour rest between shifts on consecutive days.

Police will study the vehicle's tachograph which records driver start times, rest times

and speeds.

They will ask passengers whether the driver was using a mobile phone.

A police crash expert said: "Everything will be

looked at, from skid marks to debris; it might not look much at the time but could prove

highly important later on when a picture begins to emerge."

Police will use all the evidence to reconstruct the accident on paper and with computers.

They will have breathalysed the driver and will take witness statements from passengers.

Investigators will also check whether the coach's electronic braking system and stability

programme were working.

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