Maryland: Traffic Records system Strategic Plan

Traffic Records System Strategic Plan

MARYLAND

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS		PROGRAM AREA(S)
	Outstanding collaborative effort		Traffic Records

TYPE OF JURISDICTION
	State

TARGETED POPULATION(S)		JURISDICTION SIZE
	General Population		5,071,604

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The Maryland Traffic Records System is a complex network of programs and systems involving over 150 state agencies that collect and report data relating to a wide variety of traffic-related processes; however, this system does not interlink and integrate the various "in-house" systems to provide analyses of motor vehicle crashes, driver and vehicle information, highway engineering, emergency care response, and/or court convictions of crash-related offenses. In addition, when the independent systems were developed, no consideration was made for long-range strategic planning for future traffic safety issues, emerging technologies, or evaluation needs.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Traffic Records System Strategic Plan project was to develop a five-year plan for improving Maryland's Traffic Records System, using the following objectives:

Analyze the existing Traffic Records System to establish a baseline of conditions
Ensure the participation of every sector of the state in an integrated approach to highway traffic safety
Identify emerging technologies and weave future technology requirements into the Strategic Plan

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In 1997, the Maryland State Highway Administration organized the Maryland State Police, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, the Maryland Emergency Medical Services, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Region 3, the Maryland Safety Council and other organizations into a multi-agency Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC), charged with oversight of the Strategic Plan project. The TRCC then engaged the services of a professional consulting firm to plan and implement the Strategic Plan.

The new plan, unveiled in October 1997, focused on 8 major elements, comprising 21 strategies and activities:

Hiring a Traffic Records Coordinator by January 1998
Formalization of the TRCC
Identifying activities to be undertaken by the TRCC, which was charged with building cooperation among the various agencies so that data collection activities and reporting processes could link and integrate data
Implementing the various redesign and development activities within agencies and programs, identified by the TRCC in the third element
Promoting the exploration of the development of a State Repository or Clearinghouse as the fifth priority element
Studying the development of a Standard Location Reference System for all roadways and all jurisdictions in order to assist law enforcement and emergency medical technicians in data collection
Proposing an interagency subcommittee of the TRCC to develop cost initiatives for each agency's proposed improvements
Proposing a second interagency subcommittee of the TRCC be established to plan a future National Traffic Records Forum to be held in Maryland

RESULTS
The efforts of the Maryland agencies involved in this project have met both the goal and objectives of developing a Strategic Plan. Implementation of the Plan will begin early in 1998, and will ultimately be judged on how well it promotes the goal of highway safety.

FUNDING
	Section 402:	$5,000
	Section 403:	$50,000
CONTACT
	Manu Shah Assistant Division Chief Traffic Safety Division Maryland State Highway Administration 7491 Connelley Drive Hanover, MD 21076 (410) 787–5825

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Winter 1998