Cost Analysis of Virginia System for Processing Accident Data

About the report:

The objectives of this study were to identify present system costs and deficiencies, determine the economic feasibility of alternative system configurations, and make recommendations for improvements. The study focused on the procedures used to process data extracted from the state FR-300P police accident report form. The flow and usage of these data consume staff and/or computer resources at six agencies: the Division of Motor vehicles (DMV), the Department of State Police (DSP), the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation (VDH&T), the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation Research Council (VHTRC), the Department of Education, Office of Pupil Transportation Services (OPTS), and the Virginia Department of Transportation Safety (VDTS). In documenting the flow of FR-300P data among the agencies the study team identified numerous operational, administrative and institutional deficiencies which fostered both interagency tension and resistance to change. The study team proposed an alternative processing system for accident records which meets all of the informational requirements of the involved agencies and produces substantial cost-savings. The recommended alternative is comprised of three essential elements: (1) consolidation of fragmented, duplicative manual processing functions; (2) creation and maintenance of a single, fully-edited, direct-access accident file; and (3) agreement between affected agencies concerning the creation, use, and maintenance of the new system.

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