Uses and Limitations of Police Accident Data

A study was conducted to determine the uses and limitations of accident data for routine safety analysis and for safety research purposes. Routine uses of accident data by state and local highway agencies include identification of problem locations, selection of appropriate improvements based on site deficiencies, evaluation of roadway treatments, and accident summaries for selective law enforcement. Accident research generally requires the use of supplemental data, such as traffic and roadway geometric data. Data problems and limitations include inaccurate accident referencing by location, inaccuracies within the coded data, and lack of sufficient collision details for needed analysis purposes.