The 

Importance 

of Sharing 

Data



The Importance of Sharing Data

What are the benefits of data sharing?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration (FMCSA), and Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration (RITA) are Administrations that are represented on the 

U.S. DOT Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC). These 

Administrations collect data from the States for use in a variety of data-driven 

systems. The data collected is used extensively for:

> Basic Research;

> Identifying problem areas;

> Identifying program and rulemaking needs;

> Developing and evaluating programs, rules, and standards; 

> Evaluating new technologies; and

> Allocating grants.

How do we use the data?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway 

Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Research 

and Innovative Technology Administration, and the entire highway traffic safety 

community use the data to quantify emerging traffic safety issues and problems, 

determine priorities, support decision-making and target resources where they 

will be most effective. 

Data allows for complete 

understanding of: 

> The nature, causes, and injury outcomes of crashes; and 

> The strategies and interventions that will reduce crashes and their 

consequences.


The Importance of Sharing Data

Data collected by the National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

is used to support the following data 

systems and programs:

> The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) provides information on 

all motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States in which one or more 

involved people die as the result of crash injuries within 30 days of the crash. 

> The National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System 

(NASS CDS) is a nationally representative sample of police-reported motor 

vehicle traffic crashes involving towed passenger vehicles in which detailed 

investigations are conducted to support NHTSA’s crashworthiness standards 

development evaluation programs.

> The National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System 

(NASS GES) is a nationally representative sample of all police-reported 

motor vehicle traffic crashes throughout the United States. Data is based on 

information collected on the police crash report.

> The State Data System (SDS) is a multiyear database of computerized 

police-reported crashes. SDS has grown rapidly in recent years as more States 

have contributed their crash data, further increasing the value of SDS to 

NHTSA and the greater highway safety community. 

> The Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) is a program 

which encourages States to link statewide motor vehicle crash data and 

medical outcome databases to match vehicle, crash, and human behavior 

characteristics to their specific medical and financial outcomes.

> The Special Crash Investigations (SCI) program uses highly trained 

and skilled motor vehicle crash reconstructionists to perform detailed 

investigations on a limited number of crashes involving new and rapidly 

changing occupant protection technologies or high-profile crashes of interest 

to the agency. 

> The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) is a nationally 

representative observational survey that provides estimates of shoulder belt 

and motorcycle helmet use as well as the characteristics of belt users. 

> The National Driver Register (NDR) is a central repository of information 

on individuals who have been convicted of serious traffic related offenses or 

whose privilege to drive has been revoked, suspended, canceled, or denied.


The Importance of Sharing Data

Data collected by the Federal Highway 

Administration is used to support the 

following data systems and programs: 

> The Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) is a set of special 

tabulations from the decennial census designed for transportation planners. 

CTPP contains tabulations by place of residence; place of work, and for flows 

between home and work. 

> The HEPGIS is an interactive, Web-based geographic information system 

(GIS) that enables users to access transportation-related geo-spatial data 

using only their Web browsers. Simple navigation tools allow users to locate 

and zoom in to a geographic area of interest, and to create maps showing 

various geographic features and themes, for example MPO boundaries. 

> The Highway Statistics Report is prepared by the Office of Highway Policy 

Information. It presents the analyzed statistics of general interest on motor 

fuel, motor vehicles, driver licensing, highway-user taxation, State highway 

finance, highway mileage, Federal aid for highways, and highway finance data 

for municipalities, counties, townships, and other units of local government. 

The report can be viewed at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hss/

index.htm

> Intermodal Facilities database provides a listing of roads that provide access 

between major intermodal facilities and the other four subsystems making up 

the National Highway System.

> The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) is a national compilation of highway 

bridges. Information in the database include: type structure, material type, 

load ratings, etc.

> The Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) provides essential 

data on highway conditions, performance, and usage for all states. The HPMS 

is updated each year.

> The Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) is a multi-State safety 

database that contains crash, roadway inventory, and traffic volume data for a 

select group of nine States based on the quality of their data, the range of data 

available, and their ability to merge the data from the various files. 

> The National Highway Planning Network (NHPN) is a 1:100,000 scale 

network database that contains line features representing just over 450,000 

miles of current and planned highways in the United States. The NHPN 

consists of interstates, principal arterials, and rural minor arterials. 

> The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), formerly the Nationwide 

Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS), serves as the nation’s inventory of 

personal travel. It is the only authoritative source of national data on personal 


The Importance of Sharing Data

travel behavior including purpose of the trip, means of transportation, trip 

length, day of week and month of the year, number of people on trip, and a 

host of other trip-making characteristics.

> The Road Weather Information System (RWIS) is comprised of 

Environmental Sensor Stations (ESS) in the field, a communication system 

for data transfer, and central systems to collect field data from numerous ESS. 

These stations measure atmospheric, pavement and water level conditions.

> The Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) is a network of highways 

that are important to the United States’ strategic defense policy and which 

provide defense access, continuity, and emergency capabilities for defense 

purposes.

> The Traffic Volume Trends (TVT) is a monthly report based on 

hourly traffic count data reported by the States. This data is collected at 

approximately 4,000 continuous traffic counting locations nationwide and is 

used to estimate the percent change in traffic for the current month compared 

with the same month in the previous year. 


The Importance of Sharing Data

Data collected by the Federal Motor 

Carrier Safety Administration is used to 

support the following data systems and 

programs: 

The Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) includes 

five files:

> The Census File, with data collected from interstate truck and bus companies 

and intrastate carriers of hazardous materials, contains basic data on carrier 

vehicles, drivers, and commodities carried.

> The Crash File, with data collected by State and local police jurisdictions, 

contains basic identification data on all trucks and buses involved in fatal, 

injury, and tow-away crashes.

> The Inspection File, with data collected by State and FMCSA truck and 

bus inspectors, includes the results of roadside vehicle and driver safety 

inspections.

> The Compliance Review File, with data collected by FMCSA and State 

Safety Investigators, contains the results of safety compliance reviews 

conducted on motor carriers.

> The Enforcement File, with data collected from FMCSA enforcement cases 

against motor carriers, contains the results of closed enforcement cases against 

motor carriers.

> The Commercial Driver License (CDL) program is a State-based system 

for which all States report serious traffic safety violations of Federal Motor 

Carrier Safety Regulations to the truck or bus driver’s home State.

> The Drug and Alcohol Management Information System, with data 

collected through a sample survey of motor carriers, contains data on the 

percent of commercial drivers found to be violating Federal Motor Carrier 

drug and alcohol regulations.

> The Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System (SAFER) contains 

safety information on individual motor carriers, with all data entered from 

MCMIS files.

> The Motor Carrier Safety Fitness Measurement System (SafeStat) 

measures the relative (peer-to-peer) safety fitness of motor carriers with all 

data from MCMIS files.


The Importance of Sharing Data

Data collected by the Research and 

Innovative Technology Administration 

is used to support the following data 

systems and programs: 

> Commodity Flow Survey: Sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics, the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) collects establishment survey 

data on freight movement and provides data on how much freight moves by 

all modes of transportation in the United States, including private and forhire trucking for both intercity and local freight transportation. The CFS is 

the primary source of nationwide data on the flow of goods and hazardous 

materials by all modes of transportation, on the geography of commodity 

movements, and the distance of shipments. 

> Transborder Freight Data: The Transborder Freight Data system provides 

detailed North American merchandise trade data unavailable from any other 

source. The data is presented by commodity type, mode of transportation 

(truck, rail, air, water, pipeline, mail, and other), and geographic detail (port 

of entry and exit, state/province of origin and destination) for U.S. exports to 

and imports from Canada and Mexico.

> Border Crossing/Entry Data: Border Crossing/Entry Database provides 

summary statistics for incoming crossings at the U.S.-Canadian and the 

U.S.-Mexican border at the port level and allows for the monitoring of traffic 

volumes at land and ferry ports of entry. Counts are available for trucks, 

trains, containers, buses, personal vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians by U.S. 

Customs port of entry.

> The National Ferry Database: The National Ferry Database is a census of 

ferry operators and contains current information regarding routes, vessels, 

passengers, and vehicles carried, and funding sources. This data system is 

needed by government and industry to understand how ferry operations fit 

into the national transportation system and help plan for their future.

> The AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials) State Transit Funding Survey is conducted 

annually by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The survey report 


The Importance of Sharing Data

includes a summary of State funding for the 50 States and the District of 

Columbia, funding amounts, programs, eligible uses and allocation, along with 

per capita State transit funding. The report also includes an overview of the 

results of transit-related State and local ballot initiatives held in 2005. The 

report is available on the AASHTO Web site at www.transportation.org and 

at the APTA Web site at www.apta.com.

> The Omnibus Household Survey (OHS), conducted by the Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics, is a random digit dial telephone survey designed 

to monitor expectations of and satisfaction with the transportation system 

and to gather event, issue, and mode-specific information. The current OHS 

includes sections on mode use, commuting to work, and commercial travel. 


The Importance of Sharing Data

DATA Community Network

The stakeholders and users throughout the data community network can 

often reoccur within each Administration 

United States Congress

Other Federal Agencies: FHWA, FMCSA, RITA FTA, NHTSA, EPA, 

DOD, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Army 

Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. International Trade 

Commission, Department of Agriculture, Oakridge National Laboratories

State Governments: Governors, State Legislators, Departments of 

Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and border States

Medical Community: American Medical Association, Association for the 

Advancement of Automotive Medicine 

Automotive Industry: GM, Ford, Toyota, and automotive suppliers

Insurance Industry: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), State Farm, 

Nationwide 

Safety Advocates: AAA (formerly known as the American Automobile 

Association), Advocates for Highway Safety, National SAFE KIDS

Media: Newspapers, television stations

Private Citizens

Local Governments (City/county DOTs, engineers)

Professional Groups: American Association of State Highway Transportation 

Officials, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), Transportation Research 

Board (TRB), American Statistical Association (ASA), American Trucking 

Association (ATA)

Private Industry: Individual motor carriers, insurance companies, American 

Trucking Association, National Private Truck Council (NPTC)

Academic Researchers: Boston University, Cornell University, University of 

Minnesota University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois 

at Springfield, University of Connecticut, Northwestern University, George 


The Importance of Sharing Data

Mason University, Texas Southern University, University at Albany, University 

of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, University of Wyoming, University 

of Southern California, University of Tennessee, University of Texas at Austin, 

Texas A&M, libraries

Private Industry/Consulting Companies: Ferry Industry Professionals, 

Martin Labbe Associates, Reebie Associates, Global Insight, Inc., PB Consult, 

Cambridge Systematics, Maritime Analytics, Wilbur Smith, American 

Transportation Research Institute, NuStats, Battelle, Reynolds Smith and Hills, 

The Tioga Group

International Partners: Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Japan, Sweden, 

Taiwan, United Nations

Data collected is a source for obtaining:

Real world crash data: Fatalities, injuries, causation factors (primary 

prevention), cccupant protection (crashworthiness)

Safety programs: The primary source for both domestic and international 

research on motor vehicle crashes and motor vehicle manufacturers

Commercial motor carrier safety data: Carriers crash data/ statistics, truck 

and bus safety inspections, commercial drivers both truck and bus which 

would include crash and Federal safety violations; commercial motor carrier 

industry data, (i.e., number and size of carriers, type of carriers/cargo carried)

Roadway Data: Road miles, intersections, pavement quality, bridges/

overpasses/tunnels

Travel Data: Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and average annual daily travel 

(AADT)

Drivers’ License Data: Motor Vehicle Registration Data
Federal Highway

Administration

Federal Motor 

Carrier Safety 

Administration

National Highway

Traffic Safety

Administration

Research and 

Innovative Technology 

Administration

DOT HS 810 687

March 2007