GETTING STARTED

• An assessment of data requirements should be made.
• For countries with no comprehensive crash data, information on final and intermediate outcomes should be collected for high-risk routes (e.g. high-volume roads) to allow measurement of safety problems and identification of measures. This collection could be undertaken as part of a corridor demonstration project.
• A crash data system should be put in place. The steps required for this include the need to: assess current data sources; engage with key stakeholders (the road agency, police and the health sector are especially important); develop a crash report form; develop a data system; and put in place a process to ensure data quality.
• The focus should be on the collection of the range of data needed to address fatal and serious injury crash outcomes which will include exposure data, final outcome data as well as intermediate outcome data.
• Road infrastructure/asset data collection should be considered to inform safety decisions, for instance through a road assessment programme. This can provide information on likely high risk crash locations as well as affordable treatments in the absence of comprehensive crash data.

Making progress

• A data collection strategy should be developed to ensure that essential information is collected.
• The crash data system should be routinely checked for accuracy and completeness (e.g. by comparing police and hospital data).
• The database should include basic features to allow comprehensive analysis of crash problem types and be fit for use by the required stakeholders.
• Information on road assets relating to safety outcomes should be collected.
• Countries should be encouraged to aggregate data at national level, matching the IRTAD structure and progressively contributing to the IRTAD database.
• Other data relevant to the setting and monitoring of road safety targets and trends should be collected, and the accuracy of this data assessed.
• All outputs (such as reports) should be assessed to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose and address the needs of key stakeholders.

Consolidating activity

• A comprehensive data collection strategy should be put in place and regularly monitored to ensure that it is fit-for-purpose, accurate and complete.
• A crash data base should be fully implemented that contains all crash data. Data should be spatially coded, and appropriate quality control checks should be put in place.
• Information on road assets relating to safety outcomes should be contained within a comprehensive roadway inventory database. This may require the development of a database, or linkage to an existing database.
• Linkages should be made between key sources of data, particularly between data collected by police and hospitals, and between crash and asset data.