Slide 1:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationWhy Is State-Reported Data Quality Important? August 2005
FMCSA Analysis Division, Data Quality Program

Slide 2:
A partnership with a common goal.

-Through our partnership in the MCSAP the FMCSA shares a safety goal with the States
 to reduce the number and severity of crashes involving large trucks and buses on our Nation’s highways  
-To meet our common goal, it is essential that uniform, complete, accurate and timely information be collected and reported to FMCSA on crashes and roadside inspections
-Based on FMCSA’s evaluation-- States vary in the completeness, accuracy, timeliness and consistency of safety data reporting

Slide 3:
State Safety Data Quality June 2005 Evaluation Results

Slide 4:
How Does FMCSA Evaluate the Data Quality of State- Reported Crash Data?
In early 2004, the FMCSA developed a methodology to evaluate the completeness, timeliness, accuracy and consistency of State-reported crash and roadside inspection data in the MCMIS database
-The methodology compares the data quality of State-reported crash and roadside inspection data to standards set by FMCSA
-It consists of five performance measures and one overriding performance indicator
-Each State receives a rating of "Good", "Fair", or "Poor" for each measure, indicator and overall rating 


Slide 5:
Crash Measures and Indicators

-3 of the five performance measures and the one overriding indicator used to evaluate data quality are focused on state-reported crash data:
	-Crash Completeness Measure 
		-FARS to MCMIS comparison of Fatal Crash data
	-Crash Timeliness Measure 
		-Uploaded within 90–day FMCSA standard
	-Crash Accuracy Measure
		-Motor carrier information on crash records matched a motor carrier in the MCMIS Census file 
	-Crash Consistency Overriding Indicator
		-Flagged when states report less than half the number of crash records for the most recent year based on an average of the previous three years 

Slide 6:
-Inspection Measures and Indicators
2 of the five performance measures used to evaluate data quality are focused on state-reported inspection data:
	-Inspection Timeliness Measure 
		-Uploaded within 21–day FMCSA standard
	-Inspection Accuracy Measure
		-Motor carrier information on inspection records matched a motor carrier in the MCMIS Census file 

Slide 7:
Why does FMCSA Care about the quality of the data?

 FMCSA’s Commitment to Data Quality….
“Good Data is the key to identifying potentially unsafe carriers and drivers. The more complete, timely and accurate our data is and the more efficient our data systems are, the better our ability to prevent crashes and violations.”
“Much of the FMCSA energy is focused on data.”
“Congress has been paying close attention to data quality and consequently so has the DOT IG.”
“Lack of crash data has been a major impediment to developing effective countermeasures.”
 Direct Quotes from Warren Hoemann and Annette Sandberg, FMCSA Deputy Administrator and Administrator


Slide 8:
State-Reported Crash and Inspection Data are used to… 

Target carriers for Compliance Reviews 
	-State-reported crashes and inspections are used as part of the SafeStat algorithm

Identify carriers for Roadside Inspections 
	-State-reported crashes and inspections are used as part of the ISS-2 methodology

Support the development of State Safety Plans and CVSPs 
	-Conduct crash data analysis to identify improvement areas and establish effective performance measures and monitor results


Slide 9:
State-Reported Crash Data are used to… 

Support Special Projects 
 	-e.g., I-70 multi-state project has a focus of reducing crashes on I-70
Support Regulatory Analysis 
 	-e.g., Intermodal Study—analysis of the number of chassis that are involved in large truck crashes 

Promote Motor Carrier Safety

Provide industry, e.g., carriers, shippers, and insurance companies, with easy online access to carrier safety information including crash and inspection detail information through the A&I web site


Slide 10:
State-Reported Crash Data are used to… 

Support the development of Safety Program Effectiveness Measures
	-Are RIs and CRs effective in reducing crashes? e.g., Inspection Intervention Model, Compliance Review Model

Support the development of effective Countermeasures

Support FMCSA Strategic Planning 
	-State-reported crash data are used to measure the results of the strategic plan objectives