Skip to main content

New Guideline helps states better collect crash data

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) in the US has announced that the 4th Edition of the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) Guideline has been posted online at www.mmucc.us. The voluntary guideline helps states determine what data to collect at the scene of a motor vehicle crash. The Guideline will, among other things, help states better capture data for emerging issues such as distracted driving, secondary crashes and incidents on private property as well as determine the level of seri
July 3, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 4948 Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) in the US has announced that the 4th Edition of the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) Guideline has been posted online at %$Linker: External 0 0 0 oLinkExternal www.MMUCC.us Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria website false http://www.mmucc.us/ false false%>.

The voluntary guideline helps states determine what data to collect at the scene of a motor vehicle crash. The Guideline will, among other things, help states better capture data for emerging issues such as distracted driving, secondary crashes and incidents on private property as well as determine the level of serious injury from motor vehicle crashes. States will be able to use federal funding authorised under the new surface transportation MAP-21 legislation to make improvements in their crash and other related data systems and come into compliance with the new MMUCC Guideline.

"Accurate data is essential for states in planning their highway safety programmes and selecting counter-measures that will have the most impact in reducing crashes, serious injuries and fatalities," said Barbara Harsha, GHSA executive director. "States use their crash data to better assess where to invest their limited resources.“

The new distracted driving data element is more descriptive and includes attributes such as manually operating an electronic communications device; talking on hands-free electronic device; talking on hand-held electronic device; other activity; electronic device; passenger; other inside the vehicle (eating, personal hygiene, etc.) and outside the vehicle.

"The intent is for law enforcement to capture a wider range of information about drivers in crashes who were obviously distracted," said Harsha.

MMUCC also includes a better definition of serious injuries by breaking injuries into five logical categories and providing clear definitions for each category. The five categories include: fatal, suspected serious injury, suspected minor injury, possible injury and no apparent injury.

A MMUCC Expert Panel consisting of state and local law enforcement officials, state traffic records coordinators, state department of transportation representatives, state health officials, members of the research community and officials from five federal agencies helped the GHSA and the 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration oversee the effort to update the 3rd Edition of MMUCC to make this resource the best it can be for safety stakeholders across the United States.

Related Content

  • Call for papers for 17th IRF world meeting and exhibition
    March 28, 2013
    The Technical and Scientific Committee of the 17th IRF world meeting and exhibition is inviting surface transportation experts and researchers from all over the world to submit paper abstracts for evaluation. Abstracts should reflect original research or innovation in technical, institutional, economic, business and policy issues that are relevant, recent and significant. This global event, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 9-13, 2013, will provide a unique forum for sharing the latest industr
  • Australia’s laws are ‘not ready for driverless vehicles’
    May 13, 2016
    Australia’s National Transport Commission (NTC) has released Regulatory Options for Automated Vehicles, a discussion paper that finds a number of legislative barriers to increasing vehicle automation. The paper proposes that there are barriers that need to be addressed as soon as possible to ensure clarity around the status of more automated vehicles on Australia’s roads and to support further trials. In the longer term other legislative barriers will need to be addressed to allow fully driverless vehic
  • Register now for Australian ITS Summit and NeTC
    May 5, 2015
    For the first time, the Australian ITS Summit and the National electronic Tolling Conference (NeTC), which takes place on 12-14 May in Melbourne, will combine as the most important gathering in Australia for ITS professionals in 2015. Delegates attending the combined Summit/NeTC Tolling Conference will have flexibility in attendance and choice of sessions. Attendees can register for: just the NeTC Tolling Conference, just the ITS Summit, or both.
  • Efkon’s technology aids Asfinag’s digital enforcement
    March 19, 2018
    Efkon arrives in Amsterdam having recently delivered what it says is the first enforcement system to monitor Austrian road operator Asfinag’s new digital motorway vignette. Before legislation came into effect on 1 December, a digital vignette went on sale which proves payment of the Austrian road tax for vehicles weighing less than 3.5t. To support Asfinag’s toll enforcement officers, the system uses video technology to determine whether passing cars have a valid digital vignette. Positioned on the