Exciting Analysis of Traffic Accident Data

What analysis can be made from the data provided regarding the traffic accident?

Were both drivers traveling within the speed limit? What advice do you give to the attorney?

Analysis of Traffic Accident Data

Based on the given information, the plaintiff was likely traveling above the speed limit, while the defendant was likely traveling within the speed limit.

To determine the speeds of the vehicles involved in the accident, we can analyze the skid marks and the resulting collision. The length of the skid marks can be used to estimate the initial velocities of the vehicles before the collision.

First, let's consider the plaintiff's car. The skid marks left by the plaintiff's car indicate that it was traveling in the east direction. Since the two cars stuck together after the collision, the resulting motion was a combination of the plaintiff's eastward velocity and the defendant's northward velocity. The angle of the skid marks provides us with the direction of the plaintiff's initial velocity, which is 33.0° north of east.

Since the two cars stuck together, we can assume that the collision was approximately elastic, meaning that momentum was conserved. By using the conservation of momentum, we can determine the initial velocity of the plaintiff's car. However, to obtain an exact value, we would need additional information about the collision, such as the masses of the two vehicles or the final velocity after the collision.

Regarding the speed limit, both drivers claim to have been within the 50 mi/h speed limit. However, based on the given information, we can make an estimation. If the plaintiff's car was traveling within the speed limit, it would not have skidded for such a long distance before the collision. The length of the skid marks suggests that the plaintiff was likely traveling at a higher speed than the speed limit.

On the other hand, we don't have sufficient information to determine whether the defendant was over or under the speed limit. It is possible that the defendant was traveling within the speed limit, but further investigation or evidence would be needed to confirm this.

In conclusion, based on the skid marks and the resulting collision, it appears that the plaintiff was likely traveling above the speed limit, while the defendant's speed cannot be determined with the given information.