Crash Data Dashboard Data Definitions

  • Crash Severity – A crash is categorized by the most serious injury sustained by vehicle occupants or non-motorists involved. See below for detailed definitions of fatal and injury crashes. The ‘All’ selection includes property damage only crashes along with the fatal and injury crash data.
  • Fatal Crash – A crash involving at least one person involved in a motor vehicle crash, within 30 days of the incident, on Maryland public roadways.
    • The Maryland Department of State Police Automated Crash Reporting System (ACRS) follows national standards in determining the inclusion of involved persons in statistical summaries.
    • The ACRS report follows the KABCO scale to determine injury severity. Fatal injury incidents are indicated as a ‘K,’ injury severity level. For each crash definition labeled to include the word ‘related,’ the total number of persons involved in a crash with a driver exhibiting a particular behavior or other crash circumstances are included. For example, ‘speed related fatalities’ include any person involved in a crash where at least one driver was indicated to be driving too fast for conditions. All definitions below will indicate whether it is a summary of persons, incidents, or vehicles. Notes are included below where definitions have been updated compared to previous MHSO reporting, which will account for some of the differences in the numbers.
  • Injury Crash – A crash involving at least one person who sustained a suspected serious, suspected minor, or possible injury as indicated by the closed crash report.
    • The ACRS report follows the KABCO scale to determine injury severity. Suspected serious injury incidents are indicated as a ‘A,’ injury severity level. Suspected minor injury incidents are indicated as a ‘B,’ injury severity level. Possible Injury incidents are indicated as a ‘C,’ injury level. For each crash definition labeled to include the word ‘related,’ the total number of persons injured in a crash with a driver exhibiting a particular behavior or other crash circumstances are included. All definitions below will indicate whether it is a summary of persons, incidents, or vehicles. Notes are included below where definitions have been updated compared to previous MHSO reporting, which will account for some of the differences in the numbers.

Vehicle Occupant Data Points

  • Occupants – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle indicated to be Person Type ‘Driver’ or ‘Passenger’.
  • Drivers – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle indicated to be Person Type ‘Driver.’
    • Young Drivers – Drivers involved in a motor vehicle crash who are between the ages of 16 and 20.
    • Mature Drivers – Drivers involved in a motor vehicle crash who are between the ages of 65 and 99. (Also referred to as ‘older’ or ‘aging’ drivers.)
  • Occupant Ages – Persons (drivers and passengers) involved in a motor vehicle where age is determined by a calculation of the difference between the values in the Crash Report Date and Date of Birth
    • Driver Ages are separated into five (5) groups
      • 16 – 20 (aka Young Driver)
      • 21 – 24
      • 25 – 44
      • 45 – 64
      • 65 and Older (aka Mature Driver)
    • Passenger Ages are separated into eight (8) groups
      • 0 – 4 (Child Passenger)
      • 5 – 9 (Child Passenger)
      • 10 – 15 (Child Passenger)
      • 16 – 20
      • 21 – 24
      • 25 – 44
      • 45 – 64
      • 65 and Older
    • Occupant Sex – Persons (drivers and passengers) involved in a motor vehicle where sex is determined by the Sex field, derived usually from a driver’s license or government-issued ID. Unknown may be ‘Other’ as indicated on the Maryland driver’s license.
    • Restraints – Persons (drivers and passengers) involved in a motor vehicle where the Safety Equipment Used field is indicated as:
      • None
      • Belts:
        • ‘Lap belt only,’
        • ‘Should belt only,’ and
        • ‘Shoulder & lap belts.’
      • Child Restraint: Includes a combination of:
        • ‘Child restraint system forward facing,’
        • ‘Child restraint system rear-facing,’
        • ‘Booster seat,’ and
        • ‘Child restraint type unknown.’
      • Other includes:
        • Stretcher
        • Wheelchair
        • Other

Non-Motorist Data Points

  • Non-Motorist Type – Persons involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle who are defined by the Non-Motorist Type field as:
    • Pedestrian:
    • Cyclist: Includes a combination of Bicyclist and Other Pedalcyclists:
    • Other Non-Motorist: Includes a combination of:
      • ‘Rider of animal,’
      • ‘In animal-drawn vehicle,’
      • ‘Machine operator/rider,’
      • ‘Other conveyance,’ and
      • ‘Other.’
    • ACRS 2024 eliminates the attributes ‘Other Pedal cyclist,’ ‘Rider of animal,’ ‘In animal-drawn vehicle,’ ‘Machine operator/rider,’ and ‘Other conveyance.’ Non-Motorist Type now includes:
      • Other Pedestrian (person in a building, skater, personal conveyance, etc.)
      • Occupant of a Non-Motor Vehicle Transportation Device
      • Scooter (non-electric)
      • Scooter (Electric)
      • Wheelchair (Electric)
      • Wheelchair (non-electric)
      • Cyclist (Electric)
      • Cyclist (non-electric)
      • Occupant of Motor Vehicle Not in Transport

Note: For additional detail on non-motorist types, hover over the chart.

  • Actions at Time of Crash – Non-motorists involved in an incident with a motor vehicle where the actions/circumstances of the non-motorist that may have contributed to the crash are selected from any data elements in the Actions at Time of Crash field based on the judgment of the law enforcement investigator.
  • Locations at Time of Crash – Non-motorists involved in an incident with a motor vehicle where the location of the non-motorist is indicated in the Non-Motorist Location
  • Pedestrians – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle who are indicated as a ‘pedestrian’ in the Non-Motorist Type ‘Pedestrian’ was previously referred to as a ‘pedestrian on foot’; however, in practice, the definition is aligned with the ANSI D16 definition (2.2.36, page 17), excluding any personal conveyances.
  • Motorcyclists – Persons, including riders or drivers and passengers, who are involved in a motor vehicle crash where the Vehicle Body Type is indicated to be a ‘motorcycle.’ (2016-2023) or ‘motorcycle 2-wheeled’ and ‘motorcycle 3-wheeled’ (2024 to current).
  • Bicyclists – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle who are indicated as ‘bicyclist’ or ‘other pedal cyclist’ in the Non-Motorist Type field (prior to 2024). Note: ‘other pedal cyclist’ is no longer an attribute in the non-motorist type field as of 2024. Bicyclists now include non-motorist types: Cyclist (Electric) and Cyclist (Non-Electric).

Roadway Data

  • Route Types – A motor vehicle crash where the location is defined by the MDOT-SHA roadway inventory as:
  • Local Road: Owned and maintained by a local agency (non-state). Includes a combination of Route Types CO (County) and MU (Municipality).
  • State Road: Owned and maintained by MDOT (including MDTA). Includes a combination of Route Types IS (Interstate Highway), US (United States Highway), and MD (Maryland Roadway).

Emphasis Area – Driver Behaviors

  • Speeding Driver Involved – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle where at least one driver in the crash was reported to be speeding, defined by having values of either ‘exceeded speed limit’ or ‘too fast for conditions’ in the Contributing Circumstances-Person Actions

Note: Previous reporting of speed related incidents by MHSO followed an earlier definition that included these values only in the first or second contributing circumstance fields, a format that is not applicable in ACRS. This new definition includes reports where a driver had these attributes assigned with no ranking or hierarchy.

2024 ACRS 2.0 Update: ‘Exceeded the speed limit’ is no longer an attribute in the Driver Contributing Circumstances field. The query from 2024 and onward counts only those where the officer selected ‘too fast for conditions.’

  • Aggressive Driver Involved – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle where at least one driver in the crash was reported to be exhibiting at least two of these values in the first and second contributing circumstance fields. Contributing Circumstances-Person Actions field:
    • ‘Failed to yield right of way,’
    • ‘Failed to obey stop sign,’
    • ‘Failed to obey traffic signal,’
    • ‘Failed to obey other traffic control,’
    • ‘Failed to keep right of center,’
    • ‘Failed to stop for school bus,’
    • ‘Too fast for conditions,’
    • ‘Followed too closely,’
    • ‘Improper lane change,’
    • ‘Improper passing,’
    • ‘Failure to obey traffic signs, signals, or officer,’
    • ‘Disregarded other road markings,’
    • ‘Other improper action,’
    • ‘Operated motor vehicle in erratic/reckless manner,’ or
    • ‘Swerved or avoided vehicle or object in road.’

Note: Previous reporting of aggressive driving related incidents by MHSO used a definition that included at least two of these values in the first and second contributing circumstance fields. This new definition includes reports where a driver had any indication of two or more of these attributes assigned with no ranking or hierarchy.

  • Distracted Driver Involved – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle where at least one driver in the crash was reported to be exhibiting any of the following behaviors in the Driver Distracted By field:
  • 2015-2023: Any positive value in only the Driver Distracted By field:
    • ‘Looked but did not see,’
    • ‘Other electronic device,’
    • ‘By other occupants,’
    • ‘By moving object in vehicle,’
    • ‘Talking or listening to cellular phone,’
    • ‘Dialing cellular phone,’
    • ‘Adjusting audio and or climate controls,’
    • ‘Using other device controls integral to vehicle,’
    • ‘Using device object brought into vehicle,’
    • ‘Distracted by outside person object or event,’
    • ‘Eating or drinking,’
    • ‘Smoking related,’
    • ‘Other cellular phone related,’
    • ‘Inattentive or lost in thought,’
    • ‘Texting from a cellular phone’, or
    • ‘Other distraction.’

2024 ACRS 2.0 Update: The Driver Distracted By Field has changed to align with MMUCC 5. There are now two fields:

Distracted By Action

  • Talking/Listening
  • Manually Operating (Texting, Dialing, Playing Games)
  • Other Action (Looking Away from Task)
  • Texting

Distracted By Source

  • Hands-Free Mobile Device
  • Hand-Held Mobile Phone
  • Other Electronic Device
  • Vehicle-Integrated Device
  • Passenger/Other Non-Motorist
  • External (to Vehicle/Non-Motorist Area)
  • Other Distraction

The current definition of a Distracted Driver includes a driver exhibiting at least one behavior in the 2015-2023 Driver Distracted By field and at least one value in the Distracted by Action field for the years 2024 to current.

  • Impaired Driver Involved – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle where at least one driver in the crash was reported to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Impairment is determined through the Person Condition, BAC (Blood Alcohol Content), Substance Use, Alcohol Test, Drug Test, Drug Test Result, and Contributing Circumstances-Person Actions fields. A driver in a crash is suspected or determined to be impaired when the report indicates:
  • 2015-2023: A driver in a crash is suspected or determined to be impaired when the report indicates:
    • Person Condition: had been drinking, using drugs, or influenced by medications and/or drugs and/or alcohol; or
    • BAC (Blood Alcohol Content): at or above .08; or
    • Substance Use: alcohol present, illegal present, medication present, combined use present, alcohol contributed, illegal drugs contributed, medication contributed, or combination contributed; or
    • Alcohol Test: positive preliminary test, or
    • Drug Test: positive preliminary test, or
    • Drug Test Result: Positive (P), or
    • Contributing Circumstances-Person Actions: under the influence of drugs, under the influence of alcohol, under the influence of medication, or under combined influence.
  • 2024 to Date: 
    • Condition before Crash: Under the Influence of Alcohol, Drugs, and/or Medication; or
    • BAC (Blood Alcohol Content): at or above .08; or
    • Law Enforcement Suspects Alcohol Use: Yes; or
    • Law Enforcement Suspects Drug Use: Yes; or
    • Alcohol Preliminary Test Result: Positive
    • Drug Preliminary Test Result: Any positive result for:
      • 100 CNS Depressants
      • 101 CNS Stimulants
      • 102 Hallucinogens
      • 103 Dissociative Anesthetics
      • 104 Narcotic Anesthetics
      • 105 Inhalants
      • 106 Cannabis

Note: These summaries include drug impairment and will not match alcohol-impaired fatality data reported by NHTSA FARS. Additionally, alcohol-impaired summaries reported by NHTSA include multiple imputation, a method to impute missing Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) values. These summaries only include what law enforcement has included on the crash report with no additional statistical calculations.

Not all test results for alcohol and/or drugs are available in the early stages of a crash investigation. Results may be delayed, sometimes significantly, leading to incomplete data for these types of crashes. Crash reports are typically submitted within a short period of time after the incident and are available in this dashboard for analysis shortly thereafter.  More complete statistical trend analysis related to impairment is usually delayed until the next calendar year.

Additional Emphasis Filters Areas

  • Unrestrained Occupant – Persons (vehicle occupants only), who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle where the Safety Equipment Used field was indicated to be ‘None.’ Drivers of motorcycles, ATVs, or mopeds are not included.
  • Work Zone Related – Persons who are involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle where the Construction Zone field is checked ‘Yes.’
  • Non-motorists Involved – Persons involved in an incident involving a motor vehicle who are indicated as any Non-Motorist Type in ACRS.
    • Cyclist
    • Pedestrian on Foot
    • Other Non-Motorist
  • Motorcyclists Involved– A motor vehicle crash which includes both drivers and passengers where the Vehicle Body Type is indicated to be a ‘motorcycle.’

Crash data for 2023 and 2022 are preliminary. All crash data is subject to change.