State Traffic Information Systems Improvements: Promising Practices (NHTSA Technical Report DOT HS 811 502)

This report highlights the major State-level accomplishments since 2005 in improving data systems used in traffic safety decision making. A nationwide assessment of traffic records system improvements solicited information from all NHTSA regions and all States plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. States were asked to report data quality improvement efforts taking place during the years following passage of the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. The project was designed to identify improvements in crash, roadway, driver, vehicle, citation/adjudication, and injury surveillance datasets—the six major components of State traffic records systems. Improvements were sought in the data quality attributes of timeliness, accuracy, completeness, consistency, integration, and accessibility. State projects with quantitative measures showing data quality improvement are highlighted. Additional projects with qualitative evidence of data quality improvement are also described. Several States are listed as pursuing promising practices and the most effective of these are recommended for promotion to the traffic safety and traffic records community.