FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Demonstration Program

Dear Motor Carrier:

 

Have you been involved in a crash that was not preventable and is now showing up on your Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) record?  If so, you may be eligible to participate in FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Demonstration Program.  Lots of other motor carriers are taking advantage of this program.  So far FMCSA has received over 6,000 Requests for Data Review (RDRs) in the program from over 2,100 different companies.  More than 90% of the eligible RDRs have resulted in a determination that the crash was not preventable by the motor carrier.

 

Since August 1, 2017, the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program has allowed motor carriers and drivers involved in certain crash types to submit RDRs through FMCSA’s DataQs system. Crashes must have occurred on or after June 1, 2017.  

 

Eligible crash types are limited to:

 

1. When the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) was struck by a motorist driving under the influence (or related offense)
2. When the CMV was struck by a motorist driving the wrong direction
3. When the CMV was struck in the rear
4. When the CMV was struck while it was legally stopped or parked, including when the vehicle was unattended
5. When the CMV struck an individual committing or attempting to commit suicide by stepping or driving in front of the CMV
6. When the CMV sustained disabling damage after striking an animal in the roadway
7. When the crash was the result of an infrastructure failure, falling trees, rocks, or other debris;
8. When the CMV was struck by cargo or equipment from another vehicle

The results of the preventability reviews are posted on the Agency’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) website as Not Preventable, Preventable, or Undecided.  FMCSA displays, to enforcement users and participating carriers logged into their own profiles, the Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Category percentiles in SMS with and without the crashes determined to be not preventable. The program is scheduled to run through July 31, 2019.  For definitions of the eligible crash types and more information on the program, please see the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program Website or email us at Crash.Preventability@dot.gov.