Evaluation of 2009 Virginia crash data reported to the MCMIS Crash File

Abstract

This report is part of a series evaluating the data reported to the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash File undertaken by the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Earlier studies have shown that reporting to the MCMIS Crash File was generally incomplete. This report examines the factors that are associated with reporting rates for the State of Virginia. MCMIS Crash File records were matched to the Virginia Crash file to determine the nature and extent of underreporting. Overall, it appears that Virginia is reporting 75.2 percent of crash involvements that should be reported to the MCMIS Crash file. Because police officers are instructed to code tractors with trailers as single unit trucks with three axles, reporting rates by truck configuration were not calculated, but the reporting rate for all trucks is 76.1 percent, and the reporting rate for buses is 67.4 percent. The reporting rate for fatal crashes is 84.1 percent, 77.3 percent for injured/transported crashes, and 73.0 percent for towed/disabled crashes. The Virginia Police Crash Report form has a Commercial Motor Vehicle Section and it appears that the data recorded in this section plays a major role in determining what information gets uploaded to the MCMIS Crash file. Missing data rates are low for most variables. Corresponding data elements in the MCMIS and Virginia Crash files were reasonably consistent for several variables examined.