eCrash – The Center for Advanced Public Safety (2024)

eCrash

eCrash is an electronic traffic crash reporting and transmission procedure system.

The eCrash system, like eCite, is a process-level solution to the outdated and time-consuming paper crash report form used by law enforcement and the court system. Crash reports generated through eCrash are quick, accurate, secure, and legible.

eCrash is more than a form. The development of eCrash began as a workflow solution for Alabama law enforcement’s processing of over 130,000 traffic crash reports annually. It was solidified after the state’s decision to require MMUCC compliant reports. CAPS, therefore, developed the eCrash system as a means of collecting, cleaning, and analyzing data and making that data easily accessible by all involved agencies

The eCite system is fully integrated into the Mobile Officers’ Virtual Environment (MOVE) and is not offered as a stand-alone product.

Process

eCrash enables law enforcement to prepare MMUCC-5 compliant crash forms 100% electronically.

eCrash is utilized by officers in the field to document traffic crash reports and transmit the data to a server repository. Officers use the same equipment (scanner combined with a laptop, notebook or tablet PC) and software environment (MOVE) for both eCrash and eCite.

A full suite of administrative tools is available through MOVE to support the needed backend processing of crash forms and the approval and archiving of the crash data.

Overview Video

Coming Soon

Features & MOVE Integration

• Driver’s license scanning (reads all 50 states)
• Auto-Population of DL and GPS information
• Integrates with crash diagramming applications, such as Easy Street Draw and ScenePD
• Crash Report Validation to minimize errors + MMUCC 5 compliant
• Eliminates redundant data entry
• Improved timeliness of data
• Electronic submission allows for paperless system + Web portal for supervisor approval of crash report + Web portal for analysis
• Windows 7 or later compatible
• Access to searchable LETS data
• Find the current officer’s GPS location
• Transfer the record and submit it for supervisory approval
• Correct any faults in the record found by supervisors
• Print the record at the roadside
• Includes crash location functionality and crash diagram support

Design & Technology

eCrash transformed a major hurdle of crash data reporting by enabling the entry of crash data as close to the crash scene as possible. The eCrash system provides full-scale consistency and fewer interpretation errors in crash data.

An effortless and uncomplicated design was important to project partner, Alabama Department of Public Safety, and resulted in the following design features:

• Individual reports customized to reflect any number of involved drivers, units, persons, pedestrians, or other non-motorists
• Required report sections remain highlighted in red until complete
• Data elements are tracked and a validation check prevents the report from being submitted with incomplete data
• Electronic submission reduces duplicate efforts and provide immediate access to report data

The eCrash system was developed concurrently with Alabama’s initiative to change to MMUCC-compatible crash reports. MUCC, a voluntary data collection guideline, was developed in 1998 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to encourage greater uniformity. The MMUCC guideline identifies a minimum set of motor vehicle crash data elements and their attributes that States should consider collecting and including in their State crash data system. The current version of eCrash is compatible with MMUCC-5, the most current version of the guideline.

History, Sponsors, & Partners

eCrash’s initial development in Alabama was sponsored by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and directed by the Alabama Department of Public Safety. These entities continue to support eCrash through sponsorship and cooperation respectively.

A project goal was for all Alabama agencies to report all motor vehicle crashes paperlessly via the eCrash system by January 1, 2010.

• 2002: eCite software development began
• 2003: Alabama eCite rollout to state troopers
• 2009: eCrash deployed to all Alabama State Troopers and many police departments
• 2010: 100% eCrash adoption by Alabama state troopers
• Arkansas adoption
• 2019: eCrash adoption by Mississippi

Customization for Jurisdictions

Alabama
The eCrash system was developed concurrently with Alabama’s initiative to change to MMUCC-compatible crash reports. MMUCC compliance ensures that all states have a minimal set of data elements.

Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report (AUTCR), a crash report system, was deployed in 2009 and is supported by the eCrash system.

Arkansas
Coming Soon

Mississippi
Coming Soon

I Want eCrash

Inquiries
eCite can be adapted for any state or municipality. If you are interested in implementing eCite, another CAPS product, or working with CAPS on a custom solution, we want to hear from you!

Rhonda Stricklin | rhonda.stricklin@ua.edu | 1-866-349-CARE

Training Manuals

An eCrash User Guide and an eCrash Data Element Training Manual are available upon request for eCrash users. Direct requests to:care@cs.ua.edu.

Additional Information

• eCrash Flyer
• MOVE flyer