Department of Transportation
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced it is adding four types of crashes to its program that omits carrier fault for certain types of crashes when calculating the carrier’s safety measurement profile.
“Based on the agency’s experiences with the crash types and its reviews of crash eligibility, FMCSA proposes modifying existing crash types to broaden eligibility, removing the distinction between direct and indirect strikes, and differentiating some types for improved reporting and use of the data to identify ways to reduce crashes involving nonmotorists,” the agency said in an April 12 notice.
The changes also will be in alignment with the Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, the agency said.
The program, known as the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program, was first implemented in 2020.
Under the program, carriers with eligible crashes may submit a Request for Data Review with the required police accident report and other supporting documents, photos or videos through the agency’s DataQs website.
The four new crash types:
- Commercial motor vehicle was struck on the side by a motorist operating in the same direction. Currently, the crash type is limited to side strikes at the very rear of the vehicle.
- CMV was struck because another motorist was entering the roadway from a private driveway or parking lot.
- CMV was struck because another motorist lost control of their vehicle.
- Any other type of crash involving a CMV in which a video demonstrates the sequence of events of the crash.
FMCSA is seeking comments on the proposed changes for 60 days.
Since its implementation in 2010, FMCSA’s Compliance Safety Accountability Safety Measurement System has used safety performance information in the seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, or BASICs, in addition to recordable crashes involving commercial motor vehicles, to prioritize carriers for safety interventions.
The Crash Indicator BASIC uses crashes from the previous 24 months to calculate percentiles for motor carriers. In addition, the public SMS website lists motor carriers’ recordable crashes.
Other Crash Types
A list of the 17 crash types previously identified by FMCSA. The CMV was:
- Struck in the rear by a motorist.
- Struck on the side at the rear by a motorist.
- Struck while legally stopped at a traffic control device or parked, including while the vehicle was unattended.
- Struck because another motorist was driving in the wrong direction.
- Struck because another motorist was making a U-turn or illegal turn.
- Struck because another motorist did not stop or slow in traffic.
- Struck because another motorist failed to stop at a traffic control device.
- Struck because another individual was under the influence (or related violation, such as operating while intoxicated), according to the legal standard of the jurisdiction where the crash occurred.
- Struck because another motorist experienced a medical issue which contributed to the crash.
- Struck because another motorist fell asleep.
- Struck because another motorist was distracted (e.g., cellphone, GPS, passengers, other).
- Struck by cargo or equipment from another vehicle, or debris (e.g., fallen rock, fallen trees, unidentifiable items in the road).
- Involved in a crash as a result of an infrastructure failure.
- Struck an animal.
- Involved in a crash because of an Individual committing or attempting to commit suicide.
- Involved in a crash with a nonmotorist.
- Involved in a crash type that seldom occurs and does not meet another eligible crash type (e.g., being struck by an airplane or skydiver or being struck by a deceased driver in another vehicle).
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