Evaluation of the Locations of Kentucky’s Traffic Crash Data

Abstract

This research study evaluated the current accuracy of the location information provided in Kentucky‟s crash data. Since the year 2000, the Kentucky Open Portal System‟s (KYOPS) eCrash form has included global positioning system (GPS) data as well as the more traditional County, Route and Milepoint data (CRMP). A previous study found that both the CRMP and GPS location data had substantial problems resulting in the location data only being accurate about 50 percent of the time using either method. This research aimed to evaluate Kentucky‟s crash data since the addition of a mapping system integrated into KYOPS. An evaluation of a random sample of crashes from 2009 was performed to assess the current accuracy of the crash data‟s location information. A second evaluation was performed on crash data since the MapIt system was introduced (in late 2007) through 2009. This analysis calculated the distance between the locations plotted by CRMP and by the GPS data and summarized the data by several factors. The evaluation of the random sample of crash data revealed that the location information is accurate in a substantially higher number of records compared to a study five years ago (92 percent accuracy compared to about 50 percent). Furthermore, the evaluation of the 2007 through 2009 crash data yielded results that aided in making recommendations that will address the most egregious and frequent errors related to location data. Finally a literature review was conducted to better describe where a crash should be located when a police report is completed.