Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes With Over 100 Data Elements

The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) contains standardized descriptions of each motor vehicle crash resulting in a fatality within 30 days. Each crash record includes more than 100 coded data elements characterizing the event, vehicles, and people involved. The dataset is maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation to analyze traffic safety problems and evaluate countermeasures.

Use Cases

• Analyze crash characteristics and vehicle data elements to identify patterns leading to fatalities.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of highway safety countermeasures using coded data elements from fatal crashes.
• Model relationships between vehicle characteristics, crash circumstances, and fatality outcomes using the 100+ data elements.

Strengths

• Each crash record contains more than 100 coded data elements.
• Data collection follows a strict standard format for national consistency.
• Managed by the authoritative U.S. Department of Transportation.

Limitations

• Limited to fatal crashes, excluding non-fatal injury and property-damage-only incidents.
• Data elements may change slightly each year, complicating longitudinal analysis.
• Sample data and specific column definitions are unavailable for review.

Provenance

Source

Department of Transportation

Collection Method

Collected from state-reported motor vehicle crashes meeting fatality criteria.

Freshness

Last updated May 2024.

Geography

United States