PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) requires that crash data be available to the public within 20 days after the occurrence of a motor vehicle crash. However, the Maryland State Highway Administration observed that state law enforcement agencies responsible for reporting crash data were frequently submitting reports needing improvement in both accuracy and timeliness.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Traffic Records Blue Ribbon Competition was to achieve timely and accurate reporting of crash data through three objectives:

• Raising awareness within Maryland law enforcement agencies about crash data reporting problems
• Promoting a better understanding of the importance of records reporting requirements
• Educating law enforcement agencies about successful reporting practices in use throughout the state

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In January 1997, the Maryland State Police and the Maryland State Highway Administration jointly sponsored the Maryland Traffic Records Blue Ribbon Competition—a program which challenged law enforcement agencies to focus attention on their procedures for investigating and reporting motor vehicle crashes. Police agencies that investigated and reported a minimum of 100 motor vehicle crashes per year were invited to participate in a competition for traffic safety grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 for use in local law enforcement traffic services activities. In order to win the Maryland Traffic Records Blue Ribbon Competition, a law enforcement agency was required to answer a short survey about the reporting procedures and policies of the jurisdiction or State Police barracks in which they operated. An eight-member panel, comprised of representatives from the State Highway Administration, the Maryland State Police, and Region 3 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), placed each competitor into one of four size categories based on the agency's numbers of reported crashes during 1996. The panel then evaluated that agency's reporting procedures based on the responses to the survey. Next, the panel evaluated the actual reporting data of each competitor—once at the beginning of the competition, and again nine months later, to determine the level of improvement in accuracy and timeliness of reporting. Both the subjective and objective criteria were used to determine the winning scores within each of the four size categories.