Established as a non-profit corporation in 1982, the goal of SATAI is to encourage and promote the development of professional technical accident investigation and highway safety; promote research and development of programs leading to better technical accident investigations; and to promote the development and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of traffic safety, accident investigation and reconstruction. The Association is organized and operated for scientific and educational purposes.

Membership in SATAI is open to persons engaged in the practice of technical accident investigation and to those whose interests and professional activities correspond with the purposes of the Association. Included in the membership of the Association are police officers, reconstruction consultants, engineers, attorneys and forensic examiners.

SATAI promotes it's agenda by hosting seminars in the Spring and Fall at various sites in the southwest. The seminars consist of on-site crash testing as well as lecture presentations by nationally recognized experts and representatives of leading educational institutions involved in fields related to crash research, accident investigation and advanced training. The annual seminars presented by SATAI are provided to members in good standing with no additional registration or seminar fees.