(Photo Credit: Tony Webster) The Motor Vehicle Automated Citation and Crash System (MACCS) is a browser-based application for electronic crash and citation data collection and reporting. “Automating the citation process has improved the data quality of issued citations and eliminated redundant data entry processes across agencies, while making data and information available more quickly to…
Roadway safety is and will always be partially governed by the technologies available, whether they are something as simple as turn signals or as borderline speculative as fully automated vehicles. Importantly, the technological landscape of roadway safety is always changing, altering the way vehicles are driven, the way roadways are designed, and the ways drivers…
T-Force Analytics is a pilot web-based decision management application that allows commercial motor vehicle (CMV) law enforcement and state drivers licensing agencies (SDLAS) to query and visualize CMV crashes and inspections for Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It was initially developed by the University of Massachusetts Traffic Safety Research Program (UMassSafe) from a Federal…
Massachusetts has just released its 2023 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). The SHSP is a federally mandated plan for providing a comprehensive structure for reducing roadway fatalities and injuries on all public roadways. The SHSP is updated every five years, with the previous update having been completed in 2018. Unique to the 2023 SHSP is…
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT)’s IMPACT data tool suite is a web-based application that provides data, maps and charts for crashes within the Commonwealth. By providing users with the ability to query and visualize Massachusetts crash data, IMPACT grants roadway safety stakeholders an enhanced opportunity to implement and reinforce safety initiatives and programming. Currently, IMPACT consists of six modules: Interactive Data Dashboards, Data Query and Visualization, Data Extraction,…
The Massachusetts’ Registry of Motor Vehicles’ (RMV) Law Enforcement Liaison (LEL) plays a valuable role in improving crash data within the Commonwealth. A major responsibility of the LEL is, through careful review, identifying data quality issues on the officer’s end as well as within the Records Management System software itself, then communicating these issues to the appropriate agency, as well as recommending changes…
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) State Safety Data Quality (SSDQ) Program has created five reference cards to assist law enforcement when reporting a large truck or bus crash.
Contrary to the misconception that data pulled from crash reports is only used for private insurance purposes, crash report data is essential for the implementation and evaluation of effective traffic safety programming and targeted enforcement efforts. Crash report data helps decision-makers understand the nature, causes, and injury outcomes of crashes, which provides context for the design of strategies and interventions that will reduce crashes and their consequences.
State and local law enforcement are required to notify the RMV of fatal crashes (MGL Ch. 90 Section 29) using the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS). These notifications should include the particulars of the crash in the remarks section, as well as the names of the drivers involved to ensure timely action is taken.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Crash Report E-Manual is an online resource for law enforcement and other users of transportation safety data. The goal of the E-Manual is to provide detailed information about the entire process of crash reporting by gathering relevant information into one central location. We are currently in the process of expanding the E-Manual based on the excellent feedback we’ve received from law enforcement and other crash data users.
The purpose of a crash narrative is to describe what happened prior to, during, and after the crash. With guidance from the RMV and MSP, and technical assistance from the RMV law enforcement liaison, UMassSafe created a guide for what information to include and omit on the crash report narrative.
In February 2020, Massachusetts implemented a Hands-Free Driving Law, making it illegal for those operating a motor vehicle to compose or read text messages or emails, engage with social media, or watch videos or use the camera functions on their phone. This law also completely restricts phone use for drivers under the age of 18.