Highway Safety Data: Costs, Quality, and Strategies for Improvement

The goal of this project was to analyze the collection and management of highway safety data by identifying issues and costs, and proposing means of resolving those issues and reducing the costs. Initial emphasis addressed known elements of the highway safety system with emphasis on collecting and storing relevant data. Sources included the literature and what the States, local agencies, and researchers throughout the Nation were doing to improve data handling for the three largest sources: traffic crash, roadway inventory, and crash injury (emergency medical services and trauma). A major thrust of the research was directed toward identifying the costs of collecting, reporting, and managing safety data. Lack of cost data or lack of applicability of most data collected for roadway inventory and crash injury preclude an extension of the cost model beyond that of crash reporting. Additionally the report estimates a range of costs by severity of crash, number of vehicles involved, and region of the country. Finally a set of strategies was identified along with goals to be met. The research team identified 23 strategies which were capable of being introduced without requiring substantial additional effort. The report concludes with discussion of how strategies may be grouped and introduced as a package. All of the recommended strategies will provide both short- and long term benefits.

• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/4558
• Corporate Authors:

  Northwestern University, Evanston

  Traffic Institute, 405 Church Street
  Evanston, IL  United States  60208

  Federal Highway Administration

  Office of Safety and Traffic Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Pfefer, Ronald C
  • Raub, Richard A
  • Lucke, Roy E
• Publication Date: 1998-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Research Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 205p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Benefit cost analysis; Cost estimating; Crash data; Crash reports; Data collection; Highway safety; Information processing; Strategic planning
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01103144
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RD-96-191
• Contract Numbers: DTFH61-91-C-00051
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 24 2008 7:45AM