MCOLES State Licensing Practice Exam

In the case of a head-on collision, should a non-contact abandoned vehicle be included as "Unit #3" in the crash report?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Only if it caused the collision

4. Only if it was reported by other witnesses

The correct answer is: No

In a head-on collision scenario, the identification of units involved in the collision is crucial for accurate reporting and analysis. A non-contact abandoned vehicle does not participate in the collision directly, meaning it does not contribute to the circumstances or dynamics that led to the incident between the two other vehicles involved. The purpose of a crash report is to document the vehicles that have been directly involved in the collision and the relationships between these units. Since the abandoned vehicle did not interact or collide with the other vehicles, it would not be classified as "Unit #3" in the report, as it does not have any relevance to the actual collision events. Including it as a unit in the report could lead to confusion regarding the causative factors of the accident. While witnesses may report various elements of the scene, the inclusion of a non-contact vehicle should not depend on its visibility or mention by witnesses, rather it hinges on its direct involvement in the collision. Thus, the proper course of action is to exclude the abandoned vehicle from being counted as an involved unit in the crash report.