Driving Offences Expert - Rod McKinnon MITAI

I retired from the West Mercia Constabulary in January 2003 after more than thirty-three years in service. On retirement from the police service I commenced to work as an independent Road Collision Consultant.

I joined the West Mercia Constabulary in 1969 and transferred to the Traffic and Operations Department in 1972. For a period of eight years I patrolled the M5 and M50 motorways in the County of Hereford and Worcester before transferring to the Shrewsbury Traffic Area in 1980. During this initial part of my police service I gained a comprehensive experience in all types of road collision.

I joined the Collision Investigation Unit at Shrewsbury in January 1982, where I then remained for twenty-one years until my retirement. The primary purpose of this unit was to provide expert assistance at all fatal and serious injury road collisions that occurred within the County of Shropshire. Consequently, Coroners, Crown and Magistrates Courts have accepted me as an expert in the field of Collision Investigation and Reconstruction.

I am qualified as a collision investigator. I successfully completed both standard and advanced courses in this subject with the West Midlands Police and have attended a further course with the Wiltshire Constabulary.

I hold a full driving licence for motorcars, motorcycles and all classes of large goods vehicles. I was qualified as a grade 1(i) police advanced car driver. I was also qualified as a VIP car driver and for many years was responsible for driving dignitaries and members of the Royal Family during official visits to Shropshire.

I personally investigated over 500 fatal collisions, and a considerable number of serious injury collisions. For a number of years I was the senior police collision investigator in Shropshire and was responsible for training and over-seeing work carried out by the other investigators. As a result I have personal experience of almost all serious and fatal collisions that occurred in the county between 1981 and 2003. I have detailed knowledge of how Police Collision Investigators operate, and the equipment that they use to assess vehicle speed.

I was authorised by the Chief Constable to examine and weigh motor vehicles and was also authorised to use handheld and time and distance (Vascar) speed detection devices. For several years I trained other police officers when Vascar was first introduced into this country.

I hold a City and Guilds of London Institute certificate in motor vehicle examination. I have attended various courses in the examination of braking systems with Lucas Girling Plc. and Automotive Products Plc. (Lockheed/Borg and Deck) and hold the Road Transport Industry Training Board certificate in this subject.

I have been instructed to advanced level on the examinations of tyres with Goodyear Tyres Plc. And Michelin Tyres Plc. I hold level three and level four certificates in the calibration and installation of tachographs, including tachograph chart analysis.

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