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U.S. Department of Transportation Traffic Records Coordinating Committee Charter

Background

Safety is the number one priority for the US Department of Transportation and with over 30,000 fatalities and millions of injuries in motor vehicle crashes on our nation’s roadways each year, motor vehicle traffic safety in particular is one of the most critical components. The key to reducing the number of deaths and injuries is data-driven, science-based decision making that relies on the highest quality traffic records data.

Mission

The US DOT|TRCC’s mission is to maximize the overall quality of safety data and analysis based on State traffic records data across all six core systems: crash, vehicle, driver, roadway, citation & adjudication, and injury surveillance.

The US DOT|TRCC advances this mission by:

  • Ensuring that member Operating Administrations provide coordinated, effective, and efficient support for State traffic records systems and analysis through their outreach, training, technical assistance, and grant programs.
  • Ensuring that member Operating Administrations work together effectively to better utilize existing data resources; identify data collection and analysis collaborations, such as recommending DOT-wide safety targets; and support the creation and management of integrated traffic records data and standards.

Membership

The US DOT|TRCC consists of members from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), and the Office of the Secretary (OST).

Structure and Procedures

The US DOT|TRCC shall consist of an Executive Committee (EC), a Full Committee (FC), and topical subcommittees as needed. An informal working group including the secretariat and subcommittee heads may also be convened periodically. Each member Operating Administration and OST will provide one senior staff member to participate on the EC. Membership in the FC shall be open to DOT staff from any of the four Operating Administrations and OST as determined by the modal EC representative. All DOT TRCC members are encouraged to participate on a subcommittee. Additional partners, including other DOT and non-DOT agencies, may also be included as associate members.  Secretariat services are provided by NHTSA’s National Driver Register and Traffic Records Division.

The Executive Committee chairmanship shall be rotated among the ranking modal members of the EC. Subcommittees shall be created for specific purposes and with explicit time- or goal-related durations where appropriate. 

The Executive Committee shall meet monthly or on an as-needed basis.

The Full Committee shall meet every other month. Subcommittees and the Working Group shall meet as needed, determined by the current subcommittees chair with input from the EC.

Organizational Activities

The following list are examples of DOT|TRCC’s activities:

  • Monitoring the promulgation of relevant regulations and guidance (to include coding manuals and field books), to ensure that data standards are properly incorporated.
  • Coordinating grant application requirements to ensure consistent guidance is given.
  • Reviewing DOT information system requirements to ensure that DOT is implementing appropriate data standards that promote data quality and interoperability across modal administrations.
  • Assuming a leading role in the development of NIEM-ready traffic safety XML schema.
  • Providing support and expertise to the safety.data.gov initiative.
  • Serving as the business owner for DOT data architecture harmonization efforts around applicable data sets.
  • Recommending potential safety targets.
  • Managing and updating key traffic safety goals and measures like VMT.
  • Working to assure that States’ traffic records strategic plans embrace strategies and activities that address data collection and data quality goals of all member agencies.
  • Providing outreach efforts that facilitate and develop broad consensus around a national agenda for traffic records.
  • Exploring opportunities to coordinate and complement member agency traffic records assessment and audit efforts to limit redundancy and assure consistency in policy guidance and technical recommendations.
  • Researching and promoting good practices.
Last updated: Thursday, December 18, 2014