NATIONAL GOVERNORS' ASSOCIATION TRUCK ACCIDENT DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM. OFFICER'S MANUAL

Large truck and bus safety is a vital concern to the public, industry, and government alike. Unfortunately, the traffic accident data that are currently available are insufficient to develop sound policies and recommendations regarding the safe operation of these vehicles. To overcome the deficiencies, the National Governors' Association (NGA) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration has developed the "National Truck Accident Data Program" to encourage state/local police agencies to gather the needed accident data. The Manual is designed for training state and local law enforcement personnel on the NGA Program. It gives guidelines for determining whether a truck/bus accident is "reportable" under the Program, and then presents detailed instructions for reporting each of the NGA data elements. These instructions are grouped under five major headings--Vehicle Information, Carrier Information, Driver Information, Accident Location/Environment Information, and General Information.