| Terms | Definitions |
|---|
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| CHRIS | Chemical Hazards Response Information System ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| CNG | Compressed Natural Gas; Natural gas which is comprised primarily of methane, compressed to a pressure at or above 2,400 pounds per square inch and stored in special high-pressure containers. It is used as a fuel for natural gas powered vehicles. ( National Transit Database ) |
| CO Emissions | Carbon Monoxide Emissions, one of the six criteria air pollutants that EPA has set national air quality standards for. CO is a colorless, odorless gas that is formed when carbon in fuel is not burned completely. It is a component of motor vehicle exhaust, which contributes about 56 percent of all CO emissions nationwide. Other non-road engines and vehicles (such as construction equipment and boats) contribute about 22 percent of all CO emissions nationwide. ( National Emissions Trends ) |
| Cabin Crew | Includes flight attendants, air stewards/stewardesses, air hosts/hostesses, or any other professional people who work in passenger cabins. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Cable Car | A transit mode that is an electric railway with individually controlled transit vehicles attached to a moving cable located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors at a central location not on board the vehicle. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Caboose | A car in a freight train intended to provide transportation for crew members. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Cancelled Flight | A flight that was listed in a carrier's computer reservation system during the seven calendar days prior to scheduled departure but was not operated. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Capital Funds | Funds allocated for capital expenses, or those expenses related to the purchase of equipment. Equipment means an article of non-expendable tangible personal property having a useful life of more than 1 year and an acquisition cost which equals the lesser of a) the capitalization level established by the government unit for financial statement purposes or b) $5,000. Some capital funds may also be used toward operating expenses in certain circumstances. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Capital Labor | The employees engaged in the purchase of equipment. Equipment means an article of non-expendable tangible personal property having a useful life of more than 1 year and an acquisition cost which equals the lesser of a) the capitalization level established by the government unit for financial statement purposes or b) $5,000. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Capsize | Overturning of a vessel. The bottom must be uppermost, except on the case of a sailboat, which lies on its side. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Carrier Code | An alpha-numeric code issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation which is the official designation of an air carrier. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Carrier ID | Carrier Identification Number. The unique number assigned to a motor carrier by the U.S. Department of Commerce or the state. The number can be a USDOT number or an ICC MC number. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Case Number | This variable is a unique number assigned to each crash. It appears in each GES data table and is used to merge the various information together. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Casualty | A reportable death, injury, or illness arising from the operation of a railroad. Casualties may be classified as either fatal or nonfatal. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Includes any accidental grounding, or any occurrence involving a vessel which results in damage by or to the vessel, its apparel, gear, or cargo, or injury or loss of life of any person; and includes among other things, collisions, strandings, groundings, founderings, heavy weather damage, fires, explosions, failure of gear and equipment and any other damage which might affect or impair the seaworthiness of the vessel. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Catamaran | A vessel with twin hulls and usually a deck or superstructure connecting the hulls. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Cathodic Protection | A type of protection that protects from external corrosion. A current is set up around the pipeline to reverse the flow of electrons and thus inhibit corrosion. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Caulk | Material used to stop up and make tight against leakage the joints of a pipe. ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Causal Event | The main reason, condition, or action that resulted in the reported casualty. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Causal Party | The main group of people or the vessel that took actions resulting in the reported casualty. ( Marine Casualty and Pollution Database ) |
| Census Division | Groupings of states that are subdivisions of the four census regions. There are nine divisions, which the Census Bureau adopted in 1910 for the presentation of data. ( American Travel Survey, Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Census Region | Groupings of states that subdivide the United States for the presentation of data. There are four regions -- Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Each of the four divisions is divided into two or more census divisions. ( American Travel Survey ) |
| Groupings of states that subdivide the United States for the presentation of data. There are four regions -- Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Each of the four regions is divided into two or more census divisions. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Certificate Of Public Convenience And Necessity | A certificate issued to an air carrier under 49 U.S.C. 41102, by the Department of Transportation authorizing the carrier to engage in air transportation. ( Airline On-Time Performance Data, Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Certificated Air Carrier | An air carrier holding a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by DOT to conduct scheduled services interstate. Nonscheduled or charter operations may also be conducted by these carriers. (same as Certified Air Carrier) ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Certified Air Carrier | An air carrier holding a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by DOT to conduct scheduled services interstate. Nonscheduled or charter operations may also be conducted by these carriers. (same as Certificated Air Carrier) ( Airline On-Time Performance Data ) |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | The highest total weight of goods, packing, passengers, and aircraft that is safe to operate. The certified maximum gross weight is established for a certain type of aircraft by the aircraft manufacturer. ( Aviation Accidents Database and Synopses ) |
| Channel Depth | The perpendicular measurement from the water surface to the floor of waterway that is used as an access lane to a port or other waterway. Information on wave activity, tides, currents, and ship traffic are used to estimate channel depth. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Charter Flight | A commercial passenger vehicle trip not scheduled, but specially arranged. The charter contract normally commits the carrier to furnish the agreed to transportation service at a specified time between designated locations. ( Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Charter Service | A vehicle hired for exclusive use that does not operate over a regular route, on a regular schedule and is not available to the general public. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Chime | Edge or rim of drum or stave of storage tank. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| City Code | A three character alpha-numeric code issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation to designate the city where the origin or destination airport is located. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics, Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B), Aviation Support Tables ) |
| Class I Motor Carriers | Carriers having annual carrier operating revenues (including interstate and intrastate) of $10 million or more after applying the revenue deflator formula in Note A. (Note A contains a deflator based on the Producer Price Index. It is available in 49 CFR 1420) ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Class II Motor Carriers | Carriers having annual carrier operating revenues (including interstate and intrastate) of at least $3 million but less than $10 million after applying the revenue deflator formula in Note A. (Note A contains a deflator based on the Producer Price Index. It is available in 49 CFR 1420) ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Class III Motor Carriers | Carriers having annual carrier operating revenues (including interstate and intrastate) of less than $3 million after applying the revenue deflator formula in Note A. (Note A contains a deflator based on the Producer Price Index. It is available in 49 CFR 1420) ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Classification Of Commodity | Classification of commodity spilled: Petroleum, Petroleum product HVL (Highly Volatile liquid), Petroleum product Non-HVL (Non-Highly Volatile liquid). ( Pipeline Safety Statistics ) |
| Codeshare | An arrangement whereby a marketing carrier's code is used to identify a flight operated by another carrier. The marketing carrier may make reservations and issue tickets for the operating carrier's flights. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Collectors | In rural areas, routes serving intra-county, rather than statewide travel. In urban areas, streets providing direct access to neighborhoods as well as direct access to arterials. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Collision | A collision is defined as an impact between on-track equipment while both are on rails and where one is operating under train movement rules or is subject to the protection afforded to trains. This definition includes instances where equipment occupying a siding is fouling the main line and is struck by an approaching train. It does not include impacts occurring while switching within yards, as in making up or breaking up trains, shifting or setting out cars, etc. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Combination Truck | A truck tractor not pulling a trailer; a tractor pulling at least one full or semi-trailer; or a single-unit truck pulling at least one trailer. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Commercial Operator | A person who, for compensation or hire, engages in the carriage by aircraft in air commerce of persons or property, other than as an air carrier or foreign air carrier or under the authority of 14CFR375. Where it is doubtful that an operation is for compensation or hire, the test applied is whether the carriage by air is merely incidental to the person's other business or is, in itself, a major enterprise for profit. ( Air Carrier Financial Reports (Form 41 Financial Data) ) |
| Commodity | An article of commerce, delivered for shipment. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Products that an establishment produces, sells, or distributes. This does not include items that are considered as excess or byproducts of the establishment's operation. For the Commodity Flow Survey, respondents reported the description and the five-digit Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG) code for the major commodity contained in the shipment, defined as the commodity with the greatest weight in the total shipment. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS), Commodity Flow Survey ) |
| Products that an establishment produces, sells, or distributes. This does not include items that are considered as excess or byproducts of the establishment's operation. Respondents reported the description and the five-digit SCTG code for the major commodity contained in the shipment, defined as the commodity with the greatest weight in the total shipment. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| Common Carrier | A business or agency that is available to the public for transportation of persons, goods, or messages. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Commuter Air Carrier | An air carrier carrying passengers for hire or compensation using small aircraft (30 seats or smaller) under FAR Part 135 performing at least 5 scheduled roundtrips per week. ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Commuter Rail | Urban passenger train service for short distance travel between a central city and adjacent suburbs. Does not include heavy rail or light rail service. ( National Ferry Database ) |
| Commuter Rail Purchased Transportation | A transit mode that is an electric or diesel propelled railway for urban passenger train service consisting of local short distance travel operating between a central city and adjacent suburbs. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Commuter Trip | See Journey-to-Work. ( Census Transportation Planning Package ) |
| Compensation of Employees | The sum of employee wages and salaries and supplements to wages and salaries.Wages and salaries are measured on an accrual, or when earned basis, which may be different from the measure of wages and salaries measured on a disbursement, or when paid basis. ( Gross State Product ) |
| Completed Departures | Takeoffs made at an airport. (same as Departures Performed) ( Small Air Carrier Statistics ) |
| Consignee | The person to whom or organization to which a shipment is sent. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| The person to whom or organization to which the shipment was sent. ( Hazardous Material Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) ) |
| Consist | Makeup or composition of a railroad train by classes or types and arrangement. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) | A CMSA is a metropolitan complex of I million or more population, containing two or more component parts designated as primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs). ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| If an MSA has a population of 1 million or more and meets requirements specified in the standards, it is termed a CMSA, consisting of two or more major components, each of which is recognized as a primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA). ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSA) | If an MSA has a population of 1 million or more and meets requirements specified in the standards, it is termed a CMSA, consisting of two or more major components, each of which is recognized as a primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA). ( State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings ) |
| Construction/Maintenance Zone | An area, usually marked by signs, barricades, or other devices indicating that highway construction or highway maintenance activities are ongoing. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System (NASS/GES), Trucks Involved Fatal Accidents ) |
| Container | A large, standard-sized metal box into which cargo is packed for shipment. Containers may be designed for use on one or more the following vehicles: railcar flatbeds, truck flatbeds, or waterborne vessels. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| A truck trailer body that can be detached from the chassis for loading into a vessel, a rail car or stacked in a container depot. Containers may be ventilated, insulated, refrigerated, flat rack, vehicle rack, open top, bulk liquid or equipped with interior devices. A container may be 20 feet, 40 feet, 45 feet, 48 feet or 53 feet in length, 8'0 or 8'6 in width, and 8'6 or 9'6 in height. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Containership | A vessel designed to accommodate containers. A container is a truck trailer body that can be detached from the chassis for loading into a vessel, a rail car or stacked in a container depot. Containers may be ventilated, insulated, refrigerated, flat rack, vehicle rack, open top, bulk liquid or equipped with interior devices. A container may be 20 feet, 40 feet, 45 feet, 48 feet or 53 feet in length, 8'0 or 8'6 in width, and 8'6 or 9'6 in height. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Contract Carrier | For Hire interstate operators [which] offer transportation services to certain shippers under contracts. ( Motor Carrier Financial & Operating Information ) |
| Contributing Cause | Actions or events other than the primary event that resulted in the accident/incident. ( Railroad Accident/Incident Reporting System ) |
| Controlled Access Rights-of-Way | Lanes restricted for at least a portion of the day for use by transit vehicles and other high occupancy vehicles (HOV's). Use of controlled access lanes may also be permitted for vehicles preparing to turn. The restriction must be sufficiently enforced so that 95 percent of the vehicles using the lanes during the restricted period are authorized to use them. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Conventional Area | Any area that does not require the sale of reformulated gasoline is a Conventional Area. All types of finished Motor gasoline may be sold in a Conventional Area. ( U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices ) |
| Corrective Action Attempted | Describes the actions taken by the driver of this vehicle in response to impending danger. Because this variable focuses on the actions taken immediately prior to the first harmful event it is coded independently from any maneuvers associated with the accident type. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Coupon | A piece of paper or series of papers indicating the itinerary of a passenger. An airline ticket includes an auditor's coupon, flight coupons, and a passenger receipt. ( Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B) ) |
| Crash | An event that produces injury and/or property damage, involves a motor vehicle in transport, and occurs on a trafficway or while the vehicle is still in motion after running off the trafficway. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Crash Avoidance Maneuver | See Corrective Action Attempted. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Crash Type | Single-vehicle or multiple-vehicle crash. ( Fatality Analysis Reporting System ) |
| Criteria Air Pollutants | The Clean Air Act of 1970 defined six criteria pollutants and established ambient concentration limits to protect public health: Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), Lead (Pb). ( National Air Quality Data (AIRS) ) |
| Critical Event | Indicates the event which made the crash imminent (i.e., something that occurred that made the crash possible). ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
| Cross Traffic | Other vehicles share the right-of-way at at-grade crossings only. ( National Transit Database ) |
| Current Dollars | The value of goods or services measured at the current prices. Not adjusted for inflation. ( Gross State Product ) |
| Customs District | A territorial division for Customs Bureau administration. ( Foreign Traffic Vessel Entrances and Clearances ) |
| Cyclist | A person on a vehicle that is powered solely by pedals. ( General Estimates System (NASS/GES) ) |
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