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Police & ForensicsMMUCC Crash Data Elements
Twenty flashcards on the national crash data guideline: first harmful event, manner of collision, weather, light, surface and severity.
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20 cards
- What is MMUCC?
- The Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria: a voluntary NHTSA guideline with a minimum set of crash data elements for states.
- When did MMUCC start, and which edition is current?
- First in 1998, updated in 2003, 2008, 2012 and 2017; the 2024 version is the 6th edition.
- Why does the country need a uniform crash guideline?
- Every state has its own crash report, so different definitions make sharing and comparing data hard.
- When is the next MMUCC update tentatively planned?
- For 2029.
- Element or attribute: what is the difference?
- The element is the data field on the report; the attributes are the values it can take.
- What is the first harmful event?
- The first injury- or damage-producing event of the crash.
- A car hits a stop sign, then slides into a pedestrian: first harmful event?
- Collision with the traffic sign support, because it happened first.
- Rear-ended car is pushed down an embankment into a river: location of the first harmful event?
- On Roadway: it records where the first harm happened, not where the vehicles ended up.
- What does manner of collision describe?
- How two motor vehicles in transport were oriented when they came together in the first harmful event.
- Example of an angle collision?
- The front of one motor vehicle hits the side of another.
- Sideswipe, same direction?
- Two vehicles going the same way touch without overlapping a corner, and the impact swipes along their sides.
- When can a rear-to-rear collision happen?
- For example, when two vehicles are backing up.
- Light condition Dawn?
- The change from dark of night to daylight, typically the 30 minutes before sunrise.
- How many attributes does Light Condition have?
- Seven: Daylight, Dawn, Dusk, Dark-Lighted, Dark-Not Lighted, Dark-Unknown Lighting and Unknown.
- Atmospheric conditions coded as Clear: can another one be added?
- No; when Clear is coded, it is the only one.
- Clear or Cloudy?
- Clear: no clouds, or partly cloudy with full sunlight. Cloudy: overcast, or partly cloudy with less sunlight.
- Vehicle left the trafficway just before the crash: which surface do you code?
- The surface condition of the trafficway the vehicle departed.
- A normal dirt road in dry weather: surface condition?
- Dry; Mud, Dirt, or Gravel is only for material lying on the road.
- What sets the crash severity?
- The most severe injury to any person involved in the crash.
- When is an injury counted as fatal (K)?
- When the person dies within 30 days of the crash, even if not at the scene; the earlier code is then changed to Fatal.
Official sources
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
MMUCC Guideline: Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria, 6th Edition (DOT HS 813 525)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit: Officer's Instruction Tool (DOT HS 813 055, June 2022)
Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by NHTSA, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, the Albany Police Department or any law enforcement agency. Agency and form names are named only to describe the content.