Safety Starts with
Crash Data
Vision Zero Conference
Bicycle Coalition of
Greater Philadelphia
December 3, 2015
Patricia Ott, P.E.
MBO Engineering, LLC
Outline
Traffic
Records System
Crash Records System
Crash Reporting
Gaps in Data
Paper vs. Automated
Improvements
Traffic Records System
A Traffic Records System (TRS) is a virtual
system of independent real systems, which
collectively form the information base for
the management of the highway and
traffic safety activities of a State and its
local subdivisions. A TRS encompasses the
hardware, software, and personnel that
capture, store, transmit, analyze and
interpret highway safety data.
--NHTSA
Traffic Records System
Crash Records
Driver Records
Vehicle Records
Roadway Inventory
Citation/Adjudication
Emergency Medical/Response
NJ TRS
Traffic Records System
“High-quality State traffic records data is critical to
effective safety programming, operational
management, and strategic planning. Every
State—in cooperation with its local, regional, and
Federal partners—should maintain a traffic records
system that supports the data-driven, science-based
decision-making necessary to identify problems;
develop, deploy, and evaluate countermeasures;
and efficiently allocate resources.”
-- NHTSA Traffic Records Program Assessment
Advisory
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811644.pdf
Crash Records System

Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC)
 National guidance for elements to be collected
on crash reports
 Collection of MMUCC elements is voluntary, but
funding tied to use
 Recommend 110 elements to be collected:
 77 elements by law enforcement at the crash
scene
 10 elements derived from crash scene
information
 23 elements obtained from links to driver
history, injury & roadway inventory data
Crash Reporting
 NJTR-1
 144
fields of information
 Last updated 2006; currently undergoing
revision
 All NJ Law enforcement agencies use NJTR1 (exception: Port Authority of NY/NJ)
 NJTR-1 Guidebook, Field Manual, Yearly
training
Crash Reporting in NJ
Covered under Motor Vehicle Law
 Vehicle to Pedestrian
 Vehicle to Bicyclist
Not Covered under Law
 Bicyclist to Pedestrian
 Bicyclist to Bicyclist
 Pedestrian to Pedestrian
Apparent Contributing Circumstances
Driver/Pedalcyclist Actions ( 01 - 29 )
 01 Unsafe Speed
 02 Driver Inattention *
 03 Failed To Obey Traffic Control
Device
 04 Failed To Yield ROW to
Vehicle/Pedes.
 05 Improper Lane Change
 06 Improper Passing
 07 Improper Use/Failed to Use Turn
Signal
 08 Improper Turning
 09 Following Too Closely
 10 Backing Unsafely
 11 Improper Use/No Lights
 12 Wrong Way
 13 Improper Parking
 14 Failure To Keep Right
 25 None
 29 Other Driver/Pedalcyclist Action
Pedestrian Factors ( 71 - 89 )
 71 Failed To Obey Traffic Control
Device
 72 Crossing Where Prohibited
 73 Dark Clothing/Low Visibility to Driver
 74 Inattentive *
 75 Failure to Yield ROW
 76 Walking on Wrong Side of Road
 77 Walking in Road When Sidewalk
Present
 78 Running/Darting Across Traffic
 85 None
 89 Other Pedestrian Factors
NJTR-1
Vehicle / Pedalcyclist
Action (01-29)
01 Going Straight Ahead
02 Making Right Turn
(not turn on red)
03 Making Left Turn
04 Making U Turn
05 Starting From Parking
06 Starting In Traffic
07 Slowing or Stopping
08 Stopped in Traffic
09 Parking
10 Parked
11 Changing Lanes
12 Merging/Entering Traf Lane
13 Backing
14 Driverless / Moving
15 Passing
16 Negotiating Curve
17 Driving on Shoulder
18 Right Turn on Red
29 Other Veh/Cyclist Action *
NJTR-1
Pedestrian Action (31-49)
31 Pedestrian Off Road
32 Walking To/From School
33 Walking/Jogging with Traffic
34 Walking/Jogging Against Traffic
35 Playing in Road
36 Standing/Lying/Kneeling in Road
37 Getting On/ Off Vehicle
38 Pushing/Working on Vehicle
39 Other Working in Roadway
40 Approaching/Leaving Schoolbus
41 Coming From Behind Parked Veh.
42 (reserved)
Pre-Crash Action (Ped)
At Intersection
43 Crossing at "marked"
Crosswalk
44 Crossing at "unmarked"
Crosswalk
At Mid-Block
45 Crossing at "marked"
Crosswalk
46 Crossing / Jaywalking
49 Other Pedestrian Action *
NJTR-1
Safety Equipment
01 None
02 Lap Belt
03 Harness
04 Lap Belt & Harness
05 Child Restraint
06 Helmet
07 (reserved)
08 Airbag
09 Airbag & Seatbelts
10 Safety Vest (Ped only)
Gaps in Crash Reporting
 Focus
on motor vehicles
 Competing resources
 Manual vs. automated
 Unreported and underreporting
 Laws and policies
 Reporting threshold (currently
$500 in NJ)
Paper vs. Automated Data
Collection






½ + states in US are electronic
½ + LEAs have some electronic capabilities (NJ)
Lack ability to transfer crash reports to the DOT
Funding resources needed to convert paper systems
Training
NJ RFP to start electronic data transfer project
Automation would result in:
 Timeliness, accuracy, completeness, uniformity, accessibility,
integration
Improvements in Data &
Collection
 Standardization
 Automation
 Funding
 Additional
codes/descriptive
fields
 Integration
 Communication/Collaboration
Comments/Questions?
Patricia Ott, P.E.
pat@mboengineering.com
609-610-0278
MBO Engineering, LLC