ACTAR Update
The Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR) has been providing accreditation for motor vehicle collision reconstructionists for over 17 years and is now recognized throughout the U.S., Canada and many foreign countries.
As of late January 2008, ACTAR has accredited more than 1065 reconstructionists throughout the US, Canada and several other other countries. Over 1900 reconstructionists have applied for accreditation with about 150 currently in the pipeline to take the exam. Interest has grown to the point that an ACTAR exam is presented almost once a month somewhere in the U.S.
MdATAI is one of 23 participating organizations currently comprising the ACTAR Governing Board of Directors. Of these organizations, five represent law enforcement agencies and two are educational institutions.
Please contact MdATAI or any ACTAR board representative if there are any issues you feel ACTAR should consider. Additional information is available from the ACTAR website at www.actar.org.
Reminders
Website
The ACTAR website (www.actar.org) is continually updated and is available to answer many questions regarding accreditation. Visitors to the website can find information related to:
- Exam dates
- Accreditation renewal
- “Frequently Asked Questions” concerning accreditation
- CEU (Continuing Education Unit) information
- Accreditation directory
- State accident report overlays and code sheets
- ACTAR merchandise (stuff for your office)
CEUs and Accreditation Renewal
Accreditation renewal is $120 plus applicable CEU fees. The CEU fees remain unchanged at $1/CEU for ACTAR pre-approved CEUs and $3/CEU for training or courses not pre-approved by ACTAR. This means is that the total renewal fee is $200 for an individual who attained their 80 CEUs through the attendance of courses or conferences that obtained ACTAR CEU pre-approval.
What is ACTAR CEU pre-approval? Any organization or entity presenting a conference or training on subject matter related to collision investigation or reconstruction can submit an outline of the proposed training to ACTAR who will determine the number of CEUs for which the presentation can qualify. Pre-approval is the term used when the presentation is reviewed and CEUs determined prior to the presentation of the training. Organizations may also present their material to ACTAR after their presentation for CEU approval. If the organization received CEU approval from ACTAR, the course will qualify as ACTAR CEU approved training.
Pre-approval of course material is free, however, there is a fee when the CEUs are to be awarded to attendees. Conferences and training presented or sponsored by an ACTAR participating organization pay $25 regardless of the number of attendees who receive CEUs. Non participating entities pay a fee of $5/attendee receiving the CEUs. To be granted CEUs, the presenting or sponsoring organization must forward a roster of attendees who are to be awarded CEUs along with the required fee. If you attend a course, inquire whether ACTAR CEUs are offered and if so, be certain you are on the roster.
Even if the course, training or conference you attended does not offer ACTAR approved CEUs, any training related to accident investigation/reconstruction can qualify for CEU credit. Just submit an outline or curriculum for the course to ACTAR who will review the material and determine the number of CEUs for which it qualifies. The $3/CEU fee will then be imposed for each CEU you wish to apply to renewal.
For additional information, visit the ACTAR website www.actar.org or contact ACTAR at
PO Box 5436
Hudson, FL 34674-5436
800-809-3818
Exam Preparation Kit
If you would like assistance with preparing for the ACTAR exam, the editor of the Accident Reconstruction Journal and Accident Investigation Quarterly has developed an accreditation exam preparation kit. The kit, which sells for $99, is designed to help candidates with the preparation and taking of the ACTAR accreditation exam. For more information contact Vic Craig at accidentrj@aol.com or (301) 843-1371. A discount on the purchase price of the kit is available to MdATAI members.
(Note: The exam preparation kit was developed independent of ACTAR and although not specifically endorsed by ACTAR, ACTAR does not discourage the use of independent preparatory resources.)