Sources of Data

The Roadway Safety Data Dashboard is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) tool that is designed to give state and local highway agencies access to roadway fatality data in an easy to use interface. Understanding which data set and definitions the dashboards draw from is critical to understanding the dashboard you create. The dashboards use:

• Crash and fatality information from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database. The 2013 FARS data set is the preliminary (1st release) version. The updated final data files for 2013 are expected in the summer/fall of 2015.
• Data definitions used in the FHWA Office of Safety’s Focus Focused Approach to Safety. A key document – Technical Summary: Federal Highway Administration Focus Area Data Definitions – provides detail on how FHWA arrived at definitions for roadway departure, intersection, and pedestrian fatalities.
• State and national vehicle miles traveled (VMT) from FHWA’s Highway Statistics Series
• Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) boundary information are derived using FHWA’s HEPGIS tool

Data sets cover years 2004 to 2013. Previously mentioned, the 2013 FARS data set is the release 1, preliminary version of that data set. The Roadway Safety Data Dashboards will use the final data set when it becomes available in summer/fall 2015.

Building Your Dashboard – Core v. Optional Elements

Use the dropdown menus to build your dashboard. Keep in mind that dashboards consist of core and optional elements.

• The core elements include Area, Dashboard Focus, Date Range, and Dashboard Display.
• Optional elements may be added to core elements and are related to Crash Factors. Crash Factors include the FHWA Focus Area, Collision Factors, Person Involved, or Location and Setting.

The Optional Crash Factors filters work the same as filters found on many online shopping sites. For example when shopping for a television you might select one or more of these filters:

• The brand (you might only want to buy Brand A or Brand Z)
• The type of display (LCD only, not Plasma or LED)
• The display size (only above 42”)
• The delivery time (only those units that can be delivered in 2-4 days)

The result of your search would be only those TVs that meet these criteria. The more filters you choose to apply to your purchase, the narrower or fewer the results.

Applying this to the crash factor filters you select one or more of these filters:

• Pedestrian and Intersection FHWA Focus Areas
• Involving a Young Driver (16-20) and Involving an Older Driver (65+) from Person Involved
• The type of person involved in the crash
• Where the crash occurred (location and setting)

The dashboard filters crashes and returns results based on the criteria you selected. The more filters you select, the more conditions you add to your search, and the narrower the search results.