Most accident statistics are based on police reports which have been entered into an automated data base. Experience with such automated data bases, for the study of accident causation, has indicated that often (too) little information can be retrieved about the type of accident and circumstances under which accidents occurred. Because there is frequently need for a more detailed analysis of a relatively small number of severe road accidents, it was decided to initiate a number of studies which make use of original police reports. The results showed that this method can be a valuable addition to research, which relies on data from automated data bases. Nevertheless, it appeared that a lot of information can of information can still, not always, be recovered from the original police reports. (A)
Abstract