Indiana Crash Facts 2013

Abstract

Designing and implementing effective traffic safety policies requires data-driven analysis of traffic collisions. To help in the policy-making process, the Indiana University Public Policy Institute (PPI) has collaborated with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) to analyze data from the Automated Reporting Information Exchange System (ARIES) database maintained by the Indiana State Police. Research findings have been summarized in a series of Fact Sheets on various aspects of traffic collisions, including alcohol-impaired crashes, children, motorcycles, trucks, dangerous driving, occupant protection, and young drivers. Portions of the content in those reports and in this Crash Fact Book are based on guidelines provided by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Indiana Officer’s Standard Crash Report, completed by local and state law enforcement officers, contains over 200 data items for each collision reported. These include the date, time and location of the collision, the types of vehicle(s) involved, a description of the events prior to the collision, conditions at the time of the collision, as well as information on the driver and other passengers, pedestrians, pedalcyclists, and animal-drawn vehicle occupants involved in the collision. These statistics are used to inform the public, as well as state and national policymakers, on matters of road safety and serve as the analytical foundation of traffic safety program planning and design in Indiana.