January 2016
Issue 17
  Commercial Vehicle Update
 
 Recent trends in the PR-1 reporting - Police Departments are completing the Commercial Vehicle Appendix, but they are not including all of the pertinent information needed to process the forms. For example, DOT number, Carrier Name, Full Address, etc... 
     
After the CT DOT receives the PR-1 report, any qualifying Commercial Vehicle crashes are uploaded to the CT DMV and then forwarded to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). That information is then applied to the individual carrier which will affect its safety rating with FMCSA.   
   
Therefore it is critical that all relevant and the most accurate information is obtained for the carriers involved in crashes, so that it can be processed in a more timely fashion. 

If you have any questions about this process feel free to call Kevin Slater at CTSRC (860) 930-2967
Fatal Collisions
 

Formal Definition:
The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (F.A.R.S.) program is a federal program that requires the collection of data on fatal motor vehicle collisions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) funds a cooperative agreement with the Connecticut DOT for the purpose of data acquisition for F.A.R.S. The F.A.R.S. data received by the Department of Transportation is transmitted nightly to the NHTSA.
  Police Departments are integral part of the F.A.R.S process and it is extremely imperative that police departments supply all the necessary data to the DOT as soon as possible.  
NHTSA requires that an initial notification of a fatal collision be supplied as soon as possible after the collision occurs.
Police Departments are asked to complete a basic PR-1 & PR-2 within a week after the collision.
 
We recognize that all the required data may not be available quickly.  NHTSA requests that the forms be completed with any available information as soon as possible after the collision and supplemented later at the conclusion of the investigation.



Quick Links

Is this a qualifying commercial vehicle 
accident?    Yes
 
According to MMUCC  a qualifying vehicle is defined as any motor vehicle displaying a hazardous material placard or a motor vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 10,000 LBS used on public highways to carry property or any motor vehicle designed to transport more than eight persons including the driver.

Any crash that involves a qualifying vehicle AND which results in one of the following is a qualifying crash: Fatality to any person, OR- Injury to any person that requires immediate medical treatment away from the crash site OR- Disablement of any vehicle as a result of damage sustained in the crash.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions regarding this newsletter, the MMUCC PR-1 or would like training assistance please contact:

Chuck Grasso
860-753-1240

Kevin Slater
860-930-2967

Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center | | [email protected] | 270 Middle Turnpike
Storrs, CT 06269