Wade Bartlett: From Engineering to Law Enforcement, Critical Speed Yaw Analysis, and the Power of Constant Learning
Wade has a uniquely broad career. From consulting engineer, to Deputy Sheriff, to Adjunct Faculty at IPTM, to NAPARS Administrator, he’s an integral member of the reconstruction community.
Wade has a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering, a professional engineering license, and is also ACTAR accredited. He’s authored or co-authored nearly 50 technical publications, and has presented at conferences all over the world.
We sat down for nearly 3 hours and covered a wide variety of topics, including:
- How Wade accidentally became an engineer
- Going from failure analysis to accident reconstruction
- Handling expert testimony
- Overcoming the fear of public speaking
- Becoming a police officer
- Giving back to the community
- Monte Carlo analyses
- Critical Speed
- Drag Sled wars
- Advice for the next generation
- And more
You can watch the podcast and find links from the show here.
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Timeline of Topics
00:00:00 - Career Overview and the Importance of Meticulous Field Work
00:06:21 - Researching Motorcyclist Perception and Response with Eye Tracking
00:09:07 - Academic Challenges and Learning to be an Engineering Student
00:20:12 - Transitioning from Failure Analysis to Accident Reconstruction
00:32:24 - Self-Teaching HVE and the Vital Role of Forensic Photography
00:39:05 - Handling First Depositions and Navigating Cross-Examination
00:53:46 - Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking through Teaching and Mentorship
01:09:05 - Growth of NAPARS and Modernizing Information Sharing
01:35:02 - Becoming a Police Officer and Bridging the Civil-Criminal Data Gap
01:56:10 - Applying Monte Carlo Statistical Analysis in Excel
02:14:42 - The Science of Critical Speed Yaw and the Drag Sled Research Wars
02:40:35 - Advice for the Next Generation: Constant Learning and Multi-Disciplinary Knowledge
Data Driven with Lou Peck
Hosted by Lou Peck, Data Driven interviews industry experts about the current and future states of collision reconstruction.
- No. of episodes: 14
- Latest episode: 2026-02-11
- Technology
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