(Milton Keynes, UK 5th January 2012)  The scanners will be supplied as part of a £2.7 million investment from the Department of Transport to reduce motorway closures following a collision. Delivery of the instruments, full onsite training and support will commence later this month in readiness to help ease the potential traffic congestion caused by major collisions, especially in light of the forthcoming 2012 Olympics.

Roads Minister Mike Penning comments: “There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end. But even worse than that is the shocking £1 billion cost of those lost hours for our economy. That is why we are determined to improve the clear-up of accidents so we can get our motorways re-opened as quickly as possible. The £2.7 million DfT funding award will see 3D laser scanners rolled out quickly where they are needed most. This will benefit drivers by reducing incident clear up times by 39 minutes on average.“

John Rusted, Chairman of the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators (ITAI) and Senior Collision Investigator for Humberside Police comments. “This kit has transformed the way we work and ensures we present the best evidence possible to the courts. In a matter of minutes the ScanStation C10 automatically captures the complexity of the scene including the road markings and topography. Together with the Cyclone software we can quickly and accurately produce 2D plans, put the environment before the court and effectively move them through it using Leica Truview and 3D visualisation.”

3D laser scanning from Leica Geosystems is not new to the police and is already successfully being used by 6 forces around the country for a number of years, for collision investigation and forensic analysis.

Tim Badley, HDS Sales Manager Leica Geosystems states: “The ScanStation C10 is a true surveying instrument and will enable collision investigators to take a 360 degree 3D laser scan of the crash scene in order to accurately locate, document and interpret detailed scene data such as skid-marks and fragments of glass. Complete dome scanning can be achieved in bright sunshine or complete darkness in a matter of minutes, allowing roads to be opened much quicker than ever before. We are proud to be able to support UK Police Forces and the Department of Transport in embracing HDS technology.“   

Source: LiDARNews