How D.C. intends to handle Crash Data under Vision Zero

Last summer, the WABA advocacy team submitted a paper to Mayor Bowser making the case for why, as part of Vision Zero, the District should:

1. Collect more accurate crash data,
2. Integrate crash data with medical data, and
3. Improve the accessibility of crash data.

We believe accurate and accessible data are the bedrock of a data-driven policy like Vision Zero. Thus, a key first step in Vision Zero should be modernizing the District’s crash data collection, integration, and disclosure practices to align with national standards and best practices. You can read the full text of our paper here. DDOT responded to our letter last fall to say that they are currently modernizing the collection of data by migrating the MPD records system to one that meets Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria requirements, by including the contributing factors that are related to crashes involving people walking, biking and driving. DDOT will be aided by the work of the Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC), a multi-agency group that works to produce timely, accurate, accessible traffic records data, including development of an Injury Surveillance Information System that provides hospital data collection and vital records data. Further, DDOT agrees that crash data must be transparent and open as possible (while protecting sensitive information). Under Vision Zero, raw data will be available to the public in multiple formats at opendata.dc.gov.  The agency will also publish geo-spatial analysis of safety-related citations issued and adjudicated, compile and analyze safety and injury data at all DC public school and charter school locations, and form a Safety Review Task Force to evaluate the engineering of the roads that had fatal and severe injury crashes to take a proactive approach to safety. You can read full response from DDOT here.