# Presentation: 623981

## Research Project #5

- Develop Common Data on Accident Circumstances

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Determine most important data items
- Identify useful conceptual framework
- Describe what is now collected
- Identify gaps
- Make recommendations

- Objectives

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Three phases:
- pre-event - contributing to likelihood that a potentially damaging event will occur
- event - influencing the chance of injury when an event (crash, fall, etc.) occurs
- post-event - influencing the chance of survival or complete recovery

- Conceptual Framework:
- The Haddon Matrix

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- The Haddon Matrix

|  | Human | Vehicle | Physical Environment | Social Environment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pre-Event |  |  |  |  |
| Event |  |  |  |  |
| Post-Event |  |  |  |  |

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Relevant to all transportation modes
- Well-known and widely applied in the injury field

- Advantages of the Haddon Matrix

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Can be expanded to accommodate various taxonomies
- Can be used to organize
- Risk factors
- Exposure
- Circumstances of injury
- Preventive measures

- Advantages of the Haddon Matrix

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- The primary databases for each mode should contain information on the factors that contribute to the likelihood of a mishap or the occurrence or severity of injury.

- First Recommendation: Data Elements

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Operator age, sex, prior record, training, licensure, experience
- Involvement of alcohol and drug use
- Fatigue, length of time on duty, last rest
- Distractions and operator errors
- Medical conditions
- Whether operator was at work
- Other occupants – number, age, sex, at work

- Pre-Event** **Human Factors

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Information on injury type and severity
- Information on uninjured passengers
- Narrative description
- Detail on human factors
- Guidelines for recording data
- Feedback to investigators
- Linkage with death certificate information

- Data Gaps Include Lack of:

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Quality of data often less than optimal
- Some events not recorded by police or DOT
- Mishaps of off-road vehicles
- Suicide
- Terrorism
- Injuries without collision

- Other Data Limitations

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Little data on
- Injury mechanism
- Whether at work
- Operator fatigue and distractions

- Other Data Limitations

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Details on crash severity and injury mechanism, at least for samples of crashes
- Inclusion of narrative text
- Greater use of GIS to identify exact location
- Incorporation of data from non-DOT sources
- Greater comparability of data across modes

- Recommended Data Improvements

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Greater use of sampling
- Supplemental studies, e.g., certain vehicles
- Confidential reporting systems
- Special studies using other national databases such as CPSC’s NEISS

- Recommended Improvements in Methods

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Incorporation of Event Data Recorder  (EDR) data in police reports
- Installation of Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) in all road vehicles
- Evaluation of effectiveness of current automatic warning systems

- Use of Technology to Improve Data

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- More timely data, on quarterly basis
- Increased frequency of national surveys such as personal transportation survey
- Data on bicyclist injuries should be obtained from CPSC

- Other Recommendations

## Common Data on Accident Circumstances

- Major steps can and should be taken to improve transportation safety data.

- Conclusion