1. CRASH REPORTING SYSTEM www.dot6.state.pa.us/crash.nsf
Richard Leymeister
Law Enforcement Liaison

2. Introduction
Section 3751 of Title 75, Pennsylvania’s Consolidated Statutes (Vehicle Code) requires police agencies to investigate, upon notification, all crashes involving death, injury, and/or damage to any one vehicle to such an extent that it cannot be driven from the scene without further damage and therefore requires towing. Furthermore, the investigating agency must report these crashes within 15 days to the Department of Transportation on a form designed and supplied by the Department; which is one of the approved electronic forms.
Crashes are, by definition, a failure in the Commonwealth's Transportation System. The primary objective when investigating crashes is to obtain information that can be used to develop crash prevention and crash reduction programs.

3. Crash
A crash is the result of an un-stabilized situation which includes at least one incident of personal injury or vehicular damage that is not a direct result of a cataclysm or deliberate intent.
Reportable Crash
The incident must occur on a highway or trafficway that is open to the public by right or custom and involve at least one motor vehicle in transport.
The definition for a reportable crash can be found in Section 3746(a) of Title 75, Pennsylvania's Consolidated Statutes.  It states a crash is reportable if it involves:
Injury to or death of any person; and/or
Damage to any motor vehicle to the extent that it can not be driven under its own power in its customary manner without further damage or hazard to the vehicle, other traffic elements, or the roadway, and therefore requires towing.

4. Non-Collision Crash Examples:
A non-collision crash is any crash other than a collision crash.  A Police Crash Report Form should be prepared if the resultant incident meets the definition of a reportable crash. 
Examples:
Sudden stop causes an occupant to be injured
Vehicle overturning
Breakage of any part of the vehicle, resulting in injury or further property damage
Explosion or tank rupture of any part of the vehicle while the vehicle was in transit
Fire starting in the vehicle while in motion (not parked)
Fall or jump from a moving vehicle
Occupant hit by an object in, or thrown against some part of the vehicle
Object falling on the vehicle

5. Fatal Crash Motor Vehicle in Transport Cataclysm
A Fatal Crash is a crash category where a fatality occurred to at least 1 person involved in the crash as a direct result of the crash. A Fast FARS must be submitted within 24hrs of Fatal Crash
Furthermore, death must have occurred within 30 days of the crash. That determination comes from the cause of death from the coroner’s report.
Motor Vehicle in Transport
A motor vehicle in transport is any motorized vehicle moving or stopped (not parked) being used in the transportation of person(s) or property.  There must be at least one motor vehicle in transport involved in every crash reported to PENNDOT.
Cataclysm
A cataclysm is a cloudburst, cyclone, earthquake, flood, hurricane, lightning, tidal wave, torrential rain, tornado, volcanic eruption, etc. 
Crashes that result from a cataclysm are not reportable. 
Motor vehicles driven into water when a bridge is washed out during a hurricane or flood.
Motor vehicles driven into falling materials covering a roadway during a landslide or avalanche.

6. Phantom Vehicle
A phantom vehicle is a unit involved in the crash but where there is no contact between it and any other unit in the crash.  In a sense, it is a unit that causes something to happen but is not directly involved in it. 
 (There must be evidence or witness statements to corroborate existence of a phantom vehicle). 
Example:  A car slams on the brakes to avoid a pedestrian.  The vehicle following it swerves to avoid contact and strikes the curb causing towable damage to the front wheel assembly.  The first car in this scenario is a phantom vehicle because there was no contact with the second vehicle.  The pedestrian could also be considered a phantom, but since it is not a vehicle, they would not be included.  You would not include pedestrian action in this scenario.

7. Travelway
A travelway is an area intended for traffic, including highways, local streets, private roads, and trafficways within private property area that have some form of traffic control.
A travelway is NOT a residential driveway, parking stall, parking stall lane, open area on private property, utility, logging or walking trail, bike paths or any areas not intended for motor vehicle travel.
Example 1: A convenience store parking lot is often just an open area once you enter the driveway from the main road.  Even though cars travel through this area to get to the gas pumps and parking stalls, it is not marked for traffic.  Once a vehicle leaves the roadway, it is considered private property and not a travelway.
Example 2: A shopping plaza often will have a travelway from the main road through the parking area leading up to the travelway that runs by the storefronts (usually with a fire lane).  These travelways are usually marked off and do not have any parking stall access.  Once a vehicle leaves these areas and pulls into the parking stall lanes, it is considered private property and not a travelway.

9. CRASH SYSTEM CHANGES
Validation error messages will appear at the right / bottom of the current web page.
There will also be changes to which vehicles riders can be ejected. This is in response to new federal requirements and will include a new value for ejection path.
ATVs, Snowmobiles, truck beds, etc. will now allow for ejection from vehicle exterior. Federal requirements still state that you cannot be ejected from a 2 wheeled unit, so 2 wheeled motorcycles will still not allow an ejection to be entered. Three (3) wheeled motorcycles will be added as a separate vehicle type in the near future.

10. LOGGING ON TO THE CRASH REPORTING SYSTEM
WEB ADDRESS (URL)
CRASH SYSTEM WELCOME SCREEN
Once the user has entered the Web Site; to log in to the Crash Reporting System click Log In on the left side of the page

11. Logging in with a Temporary Password
Important – The first time you sign in with a new account or after you have been assigned a temporary password by your administrator you must supply all 4 fields on the log in screen in order to sign in:
User ID – the User ID assigned by your local administrator
Password – the temporary password you were provided
New Password – make up an new password that is at least 6 characters and contains at least one letter and one number
Confirm Password – carefully type in the new password once again keeping in mind that the password is CaSe SeNsiTiVe.
Once your new password has been chosen and you have successfully logged into the system, the new password is permanent . You will only need to enter your User ID and current password.

12. PAGE ONE Block 1, 2 & 3

13. Location Types
Midblock - (Non-intersection) -Crash occurred between intersections; crashes that are not intersection-related
4 Way Intersection - Any 4-legged intersection.
"T"-Intersection - Any 3-legged intersection in which one roadway ends at a  section of another roadway
"Y"-Intersection - Any 3-legged intersection other than a "T".

14. Location Types (2)
Traffic Circle/Roundabout -Intersection that merges traffic from multiple roadways into a counter-clockwise circle where normally all turns are right-turns.
Multi-Leg Intersection -  Intersection that has five or more intersecting roads.
Crossover - An opening on a limited access highway to be used by authorized emergency vehicles to get to the opposite side of the highway.

15. Location Types (3) On Ramp - Ramp merging onto the mainline roadway.
Off Ramp - Exiting off the mainline roadway to the ramp.
Railroad Crossing - is a crossing on one level ("at-grade intersection") - without recourse to a bridge or tunnel - of a railway line by a roadway. It also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way(or a reserved track tramway) crosses a road.

16. Location Types (4)
Other - An intersection type not mentioned such as an "L" intersection and other less common intersection types.  Virtually all intersections fit into one of the listed types, so this selection should only be used for especially unusual circumstances.
Channelization -  is considered part of the intersection, such as a right hand turn lane. 
NOTE: Do not confuse intersection "channelization" with ramps. To be considered a "ramp”, the road must be connected at one end to an expressway or freeway

17. Page 1, Cont. Blocks 4,6,7, 8 & 9

18. Page 1, types of Traffic control devices
Passive RR Crossing
Active RR
Crossing
Other type TCD

19. GPS / GIS Look Up GPS Crash Location (GIS Lookup)
When using your GPS device set the format setting to display the data in degrees, minutes, seconds, and decimal seconds.
(See Page 29 in Web manual for conversion)
Crash Location (GIS Lookup)
The GIS lookup can be used in several ways.
The user can interact with a map to identify the crash location. This procedure requires only a county and municipality be entered in the location page prior to requesting the generation of a map.
The user then interacts with a map and identifies the crash location with a mouse click at the crash location.

20. Drop Down Box Block 10
• Motor Vehicle in Transport - Any motorized vehicle moving or stopped (not parked) being used in the transportation of person(s) or property.
• Pedestrian - is a person travelling on foot, whether walking or running, and refers to someone walking on a road, sidewalk, or footpath.
• Hit & Run Vehicle - a motor vehicle that hits something or someone and leaves the scene of the incident.
• Pedestrian on Skates, in Wheelchair, etc. - People in wheelchairs, motorized or not; skateboards; skates; strollers; non-motorized scooters. This is also referred to as "Pedestrian Conveyance".  This item does NOT include bicycles (see Non-Motorized Vehicle)
• Illegally Parked - A vehicle parked in a no-parking zone.
• Disabled From Previous Crash - A vehicle that has sustained enough damage from a previous crash that it cannot move under its own power.
• Legally Parked - Where permitted, means the temporary storing of a vehicle whether occupied or not.
• Train - a series of rail vehicles that move along guides to transport freight or passengers from one place to another.
• Non-Motorized - Bicycle, horse and rider, horse and buggy, etc
• Phantom Vehicle - A unit involved in the crash but is one where there is no contact between it and any other unit in the crash. In a sense, it is a unit that causes something to happen but is not directly involved in it. (There must be evidence or witness statement to corroborate existence of phantom vehicle).

21. AA 500 2 - SECTION 11 - VEHICLE DRIVER / PEDESTRIAN INFORMATION
This section is used to collect information that identifies the vehicle driver or pedestrian and some information about their physical and mental state at the time of the crash and if any vehicle code violations have occurred.
When using the WEB CRS, Driver information can be obtained and confirmed using the DRIVER LOOKUP.

22. SECTION 12 - VEHICLE INFORMATION
This section is used to collect information that identifies and categorizes the vehicle including insurance information.  This whole section may be skipped for a pedestrian
WEB CRS users can obtain or confirm Vehicle information using VEHICLE LOOKUP.

23. Two-Directional Center Turn Lane
Direction of Travel:
North, South East, West
Vehicle Position
Not Applicable
Right Lane (Curb)
Right Turn lane
Left Lane
Left Turn Lane
Two-Directional Center Turn Lane

24. (Blank) Other Forward Moving Lane Oncoming Traffic Lane
Left Of Trafficway
Right Of Trafficway
HOV Lane - (High Occupancy Vehicle lane specifically designated for use by two or more occupants (i.e. carpool, etc.)
Shoulder Right
Shoulder Left
One-Lane Roadway
Other
Unknown
(Blank)
Not applicable (pedestrian, etc.)

25. Slowing/Stopping in Lane Stopped in Traffic Lane
Description
Going Straight
Slowing/Stopping in Lane
Stopped in Traffic Lane
Passing/Overtaking Vehicle
Leaving a Parked Position
Parked
Entering a Parked Position
Trying to Avoid Animal, Pedestrian, Object, Vehicle, etc.
Turning Right on Red
Turning Right
Turning Left on Red
Turning Left
Making a U-Turn
Backing Up
Changing Lanes or Merging
Negotiating Curve - Right
Negotiating Curve - Left
Other
Unknown

26. Vehicle Type Description Example Automobile Motorcycle Bus Small Truck
Large Truck
Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
Van
Snowmobile
Farm Equipment
Construction Equipment
All Terrain Vehicle (ATV)
Vehicle Type

27. Other Type Special Vehicle
Unknown Type Special Vehicle
Unicycle, Bicycle, Tricycle
Other Pedalcycle
Horse & Buggy
Horse & Rider
Train
Trolley
Other
Unknown

28. Special Usage Description Example Not Applicable Fire Vehicle
Ambulance
Police
Other Emergency Vehicle
Pupil Transport
Commercial Passenger Carrier
Taxi
Tractor Trailer
Twin Trailer
Triple Trailer

29. Modified Vehicle
Unknown

30. Initial Impact Point Description Example Non-Collision Clock Points
Top
Undercarriage
Towed Unit
Unknown

31. Damage Indicator
Gradient
Road Alignment
This will finish page two, you should Save the page then Validate the Page and correct any errors if any then continue to next page

32. CRS Page 3

33. Block 14 (Page 3) Same As Operator: G - Ejection I - Extrication
Use for all number 1 persons
G - Ejection
H - Ejection Path
I - Extrication

34. PAGE 4 (18) Contributing Information
From PENNDOT’s perspective, this is the most important section on the entire police crash report form. This section identifies how the crash will be classified and how much importance will be associated with this crash.

35. Driver Actions
This section is critical in determining whether or not a crash is caused by Aggressive Driving and also to determine funding for Aggressive Driving Enforcement. For Aggressive Driving crashes you must use two or more of the approved Aggressive Driving causal factors

36. AGGRESSIVE DRIVING FACTORS
Making Illegal U-turns
Turning from wrong Lane
Running Stop sign
Failure to Respond to Traffic Control Device
Improper / Careless Turning
Proceeding without clearance after stop
Running Red light
Tailgating
Careless Passing or Lane change
Making improper Entrance to Highway
Making improper Exit from Highway
Driver Fleeing Police
Sudden Slowing or Stopping
Passing in No Passing Zone
Speeding
Driving too Fast for Conditions

37. Examples of some less common Harmful events
Hit Culvert - A culvert is a conduit used to enclose a flowing body of water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment.  Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and concrete are the most common.
Hit Bridge Pier - A Bridge Pier is a supporting structure at the junction of connecting spans of a bridge. 
-or-
Hit Abutment &endash; An Abutment is an end support of a bridge superstructure.
              
           Bridge Piers                           Abutment
Hit Parapet End - Parapets are used on bridges and other highway structures (such as retaining walls) to prevent vehicles, and other users such as pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, from falling where there is a vertical or near-vertical drop. In addition, parapets may be designed to restrict views, prevent debris passing onto traffic below, and act as noise barriers.
Hit Bridge Rail - Bridge railings, although technically classified as longitudinal barriers, are listed separately here because they have been previously tested under criteria different from roadside barriers.
Hit Impact Attenuator - An impact attenuator, also known as a crash cushion or crash attenuator, is a device intended to reduce the damage done to structures, vehicles, and motorists resulting from a motor vehicle collision. Impact attenuators are designed to absorb the errant vehicle's kinetic energy and/or redirect the vehicle away from the hazard.
   Guide Rail Attenuator            Sand Attenuator
Examples of some less common Harmful events

38. Non-collision harmful
Hit Traffic Island - A traffic island can be a median strip. It can also be a narrow strip between roads that intersect at an acute angle. Some traffic islands may serve as refuge islands for pedestrians.
Non-collision harmful
Overturn/Roll Over
Struck By Thrown Or Falling Object
Pot Holes Or Other Pavement Irregularities

39. Jackknife - It applies to vehicles with trailers most commonly to semi-trailers that go out of control and swing around at an acute angle to the tractor.
Fire in Vehicle - A fire in a vehicle on a roadway constitutes a reportable crash even if the vehicle has not collided with anything.  Such as in this photo of a fire in the bed of a pickup truck.
Other Non-Collision - An example of this would be a driver or passenger falling out/off of  the vehicle and sustaining an injury or a fatality whether deliberate or not.  Examples would include suicide attempts or accidents such as car surfing.
              

40. Contributing Information
Items in the contributing information blocks (block 18) are non-harmful events and/or factors contributing to the crash but do not, in and of themselves, cause damage or injury.  Factors can lead to the crash’s occurrence, but do not actually cause the damage.  They might include environmental factors, vehicle failures or violations of law that you would list in the Primary Vehicle Code Violations Section on page 2. 
The Indicated Prime Factor should be chosen from the factors listed in the Environmental/Roadway Factors, Vehicle Failures, Driver Actions or Pedestrian Factors sections on page 4.  Officers should choose the factor that they think contributed most to the cause of the crash based upon their investigation.
Aggressive Driving Factors
If the crash is the result of aggressive driving then you need to use two driver actions for this crash to be considered as an aggressive driving crash.

41. Environmental/Roadway Potential Factors
Driver Action
Possible Vehicle Failures
Pedestrian Action

42. Indicated Prime Factor, Page 4
This factor is the one the officer identifies, based upon his/her investigation, as the most contributing factor to the occurrence of this crash. This factor must be one of the listed factors / actions contained in either Environmental, Vehicle, Driver or Pedestrian sections.

43. PAGE FIVE (5); DIAGRAM, NARRATIVE
A Diagram is required with every crash report. If using the CRS you can complete your diagram using Easy Street Draw 4 which will attach your diagram to the report.
If using your Departments RMS software you will need to complete a diagram using a another source and send it to Penn DOT with the report.
If you arrive at the scene after the units have been removed, recreate the crash scene from statements of witnesses and physical evidence. DO NOT draw a diagram indicating the position of the vehicles UPON ARRIVAL. SHOW HOW the crash occurred. Position Units just prior to impact.
Accident Investigation Notice and Property Damage are now required fields and must be completed
Narrative
There is no PENNDOT requirement to repeat anything here that has been covered in the codes.  However, anything not covered in codes that is needed by local investigating agencies should be included in the narrative. Such items would include witness testimony, observations made by the investigator, the extent and details of damage and injuries sustained etc.

44. ADDITIONAL PAGES
WORK ZONE

45. COMMERCIAL PAGE

46. FATAL PAGE

47. PEDESTRIAN PAGE

48. MOTORCYCLE PAGE

49. PEDALCYCLE - PAGE

50. PA Online Crash Reporting Web Site
Test Site
CRS Web Site

51. ANY QUESTIONS ? THANK YOU Rick Leymeister CRS Project Coordinator
CR-LEL Area 3