Mark Banks, ACTAR

Background

Mr. Mark Banks is an Accredited Accident Reconstructionist through the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR #3857). Starting as a patrol officer in 2007, Mr. Banks was a member of the Virginia Beach Police Department for over 7 years before transferring to the Roanoke County Police Department in 2014. He became a member of the Traffic Unit in 2015 where he became a Crash Reconstructionist as well as a Motor Carrier Inspector.

Mr. Banks took his first at-scene investigation course in 2008 and investigated hundreds of crashes during his time in Virginia Beach. He was also certified as a Child Safety Seat Technician through AAA, where he demonstrated and instructed hundreds of parents and caregivers on how to properly install child car seats.

From 2015 until his promotion in 2021, he worked in the Roanoke County Police Department’s Traffic Unit, as a member of the Blue Ridge Regional Crash Team. He investigated and reconstructed dozens of serious injury and fatal crashes and assisted other regional jurisdictions with their severe crashes. Mr. Banks is a recognized expert in event data recorder (EDR) analysis through multiple courts. His experience in Roanoke County includes investigation/reconstruction of commercial vehicle crashes, motorcycle crashes, pedestrian crashes, bicycle crashes, occupant kinematics, and hit-and-run investigations. He has extensive training in crash scene mapping with a Total Station and helped develop Roanoke County Police Department’s drone program as well as test aerial scene software.

Mr. Banks’ expertise also includes Motor Carrier compliance with FMCSA rules and regulations. He has been a certified inspector since 2019. Mr. Banks is also a certified instructor through the Virginia Highway Safety Office, where he teaches certified officers and deputies throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia how to investigate serious injury/fatal crashes, evidence collection, and scale diagramming. Mr. Banks is also a certified EDR technician instructor who teaches Virginia law enforcement how to image EDRs in passenger vehicles.