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Field Support Section - MAIT - Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does MAIT stand for?

A:  The common misconception with the MAIT acronym is that MAIT stands for the Major Accident Investigation Team. MAIT actually stands for the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team. Members of each MAIT team focus their respective expertise in one discipline of Accident Reconstruction, hence the name and make-up of multiple disciplines on one team.

Q:  What is the purpose of the MAIT program?

A:  The MAIT program was established to address investigative concerns of complex traffic collisions that occur throughout the State of California. The teams are composed of specially trained officers and civilian personnel who each have a specified area of primary responsibility. In this way, each team member is able to focus his or her efforts, and the combined investigation performed by the team exceeds any singular effort that could be made by an individual officer.

Q:  What kind of investigations does MAIT do?

A:  There are two categories of MAIT investigations - full and limited. A full investigation is any collision investigated by MAIT in which the final MAIT report will be the original report. A limited investigation is any collision investigated by MAIT in which the MAIT investigation report is supplemental to an original investigation report.