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.
We are currently reviewing ANSI D.16 (the U.S. DOT’s Manual on Classification of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes) definition components to incorporate into the E-Manual data dictionary. Specifically, we are comparing the ANSI D.16 definition components to those of NHTSA’s Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) guidelines to identify key terms that are relevant to law enforcement and other crash report data users. Chosen key terms will be incorporated into the website and explained via hover-over text.
The expansion of the E-Manual will also include a central repository for Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) system edit checks and validation rules for Record Management Systems (RMS). These additions will not only ensure that crash form criteria and other specifications are clear, but they will also provide one-stop shopping for all interested parties, including police departments and RMV vendors.
Finally, in response to many users’ recommendations, we are developing an interactive overlay of the crash report form, which will allow users to hover over specific fields to view attributes, definitions, and FAQs. This will provide officers another way to access specific crash report field descriptions without using the search tool.
These changes will be made over the next year, expanding the E-Manual and making sure it’s an easy-to-use resource for law enforcement and other crash data users. If you have any ideas for how to continue improving the E-Manual, please contact us at UMassSafe@umass.edu.
Project funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety & Security’s Office of Grants & Research with Section 405-c NHTSA grant funding.