Publication Year: 2025

Crash data availability and best practices across the United States

Citation:

Younes, H., & R.B. Noland. (2025) Crash data availability and best practices across the United States. Traffic Injury Prevention, 1–10.

doi.org/10.1177/0739456X241274520

Though data on fatal crashes are available through the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and are readily available to the public, many states do not make their crash data (including injuries) easily accessible for the public and the research community. The public has an interest in knowing when and where crashes occur, partly so they can demand that authorities improve safety. Researchers have an interest in being able to download data and conduct analyses to better understand mechanisms that lead to crashes and assist decision makers in designing effective policies. The objective of our study is to document the state of crash data availability throughout the country and to determine the best practices for crash data management and procedures for making data open and easily accessible.

Additional Topics
Crash Data | Open Data | vision zero