On July 27, 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a Federal Register notice announcing a 24-month Crash Preventability Demonstration Program to review the preventability of certain crashes.

Starting August 1, 2017, FMCSA will begin accepting Requests for Data Review (RDRs) in its DataQs system for certain crashes occurring on or after June 1, 2017. Information on the specific crash types that are eligible, the steps for submitting RDRs, and the process for making determinations can be found here. Motor carriers or drivers must submit compelling information and documentation to show that the crash was not preventable. Suggested documentation/evidence includes, but is not limited to, police accident reports, insurance documents, videos, and other documents described in the Federal Register notice.

During the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program, FMCSA will continue to list all crashes on the public Safety Measurement System (SMS) website. However, a crash with a final determination will appear with a note that FMCSA reviewed the crash and determined it was either Preventable or Not Preventable – or in some cases, Undecided, if FMCSA could not make a conclusive determination based on the evidence provided. The Crash Indicator BASIC percentiles will remain unavailable on the public view of FMCSA’s SMS website. For enforcement officials or carriers logged in and viewing their own profiles, two Crash Indicator BASIC percentiles will be calculated if there are Not Preventable final determinations – one with the Not Preventable crashes and one without.