Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) Education and Training

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an operating administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). NHTSA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce traffic-related health care and other economic costs. The agency develops, promotes, and implements effective educational, engineering and enforcement programs with the goal of ending preventable tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. In addition to its safety mission, NHTSA develops and administers Consumer Information regulations that assists consumers with making informed decisions about motor vehicles and associated equipment. NHTSA seeks to improve the accuracy and uniformity of the motor vehicle crash data used to support its actions through the development and delivery of education for data collectors. Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) collect motor vehicle crash data from the scene of a crash on a Police Crash Report (PCR). NHTSA will develop learning programs and formats to train data collectors (i.e., LEOs), to improve their data collection capabilities consistent with NHTSA's Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). NHTSA will also develop a tutorial to explain the MMUCC guidelines to data users. MMUCC and ANSI D.16 MMUCC is a voluntary guideline that represents a minimum, model set of variables (data elements) that describe a motor vehicle traffic crash. Typically, the data elements and their values (attributes) describe who was involved, where the crash took place, when and under what circumstances it took place, what the impacts of the crash were, and why the crash happened. MMUCC data elements also record what happened during and after a crash. Since this data supports State and local decision-making, State and local agencies are encouraged to collect as many of the recommended MMUCC data elements and their attributes as possible. Much of the terminology and concepts found in MMUCC, along with many definitions and classifications, are established in the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) D.16, Manual on Classification of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes, now in its eighth edition (2017). The ANSI D.16 has been used for many decades and serves to maintain uniformity for those who report, analyze, classify, and otherwise use traffic crash data. The Standard has been developed for use throughout the United States and its Territories, to facilitate reporting and classification of crashes across jurisdictions. The uniformity of reporting that results from this standard facilitates development of data on crashes in and out of traffic for nationwide use. Such data becomes the basis for decisions about traffic safety initiatives throughout the country (ANSI D.16, 2017). Together, the ANSI D.16 and MMUCC form the foundation of crash data collection in the nation. The ANSI D.16 identifies and defines the concepts and terminology, and MMUCC sets the criteria of what should be collected on a PCR for minimum, uniform data analysis. Both documents, the MMUCC guideline and the ANSI D.16, are currently in the update process. NHTSA's MMUCC program, including the guideline itself, is undergoing an evaluation. The result will be a modernized MMUCC, capable of meeting the up-to-date needs of State and Federal systems and establishing forward-looking practices The ANSI D.16 Standards Review Committee is conducting an ongoing review of the Crash Classification standards to ensure their continued relevance. Both updated documents are anticipated to be published in 2024. National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) NHTSA has collected crash data since the early 1970s to support its mission to reduce motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths on our Nation's highways. NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) provides a wide range of analytical and statistical support to NHTSA and the public, including the highway safety community. NCSA collects, processes, and maintains crash data in multiple databases (e.g., the Fatality Analysis Reporting System), and uses this data for research and analysis for policy and rulemaking development as well as to create motor vehicle traffic safety informational products for the public. To ensure data accuracy and uniformity, NHTSA will develop a curriculum of MMUCC and ANSI D.16 educational modules to help improve understanding of NHTSA crash data by meeting the needs of different levels of data collectors. MMUCC Education The data collected from the scene of a crash is only of benefit if the LEOs collecting it understand and correctly report the information requested on the PCR. NHTSA seeks to develop training for LEOs to improve their data collection capabilities consistent with the MMUCC data elements and how to properly report data when completing a PCR based upon the MMUCC. Developing standardized training will improve the data accuracy at the point of collection. The Contractor will use the MMUCC and ANSI D.16 to develop the course material. This type of targeted instruction will improve a state's data quality and result in improved data quality for NHTSA. NHTSA also seeks the development of a public-facing tutorial to explain the MMUCC guideline to NHTSA website users.