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

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 NJTR- 1 (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 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 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 * 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) 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 * Pre-Crash Action (Ped) 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) NJTR-1

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 MBO Engineering, LLC