Proficiency testing scheme for vehicle speed determination from video footage: Development, implementation, performance evaluation and accreditation

With the advent of video recorders such as CCTV and car cameras, the course of traffic accidents captured by these cameras has become increasingly prevalent. Vehicle speed determination from the video footage has become significantly prominent in traffic accident investigations. Consequently, analyzing video footage to determine vehicle speed prior to accidents is a critical task for forensic analysts. Proficiency testing (PT) scheme is designed to help laboratories and testing organisations verify their technical competence and reliability of results on an ongoing basis. While PT schemes for various forensic examinations have been commercially available, similar schemes specifically for vehicle speed determination from video footage in accordance to ISO/IEC 17043 requirements are scarce, if not unprecedented. The Government Laboratory of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (GLHK) had recently prepared a PT scheme for Video Speed Determination from Video Footage with reference to ISO/IEC 17043. PT materials in the form of video footage were disseminated to the participants through the internet using unique login credentials only known to the participants. The test results from the participants were evaluated in accordance with the statistical techniques outlined in ISO 13528:2022. With the newly published of ISO/IEC 17043:2023 on 9 May 2023, all accredited bodies currently operating under ISO17043:2010 are obliged to transit to the new version within 3 years from the publication. In this paper, we discuss the preparatory work for the PT materials and the performance evaluation of participants. We also describe the assessment from Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) with a goal of transitioning the quality system to ISO 17043:2023 and accrediting the current PT scheme in accordance with ISO/IEC 17043:2023.