An important objective within SafetyNet WP1 is to improve the compatibility of road accident data throughout Europe. Currently, the CARE database contains a large number of road accident variables in disaggregate form, but it is acknowledged that more variables and values are necessary to better describe and analyse the road accident phenomenon at EU level. Additionally, due to differences in the collected data variables and values, their definitions, the differences of the accident data collection forms structures and the relevant data formats among the existing national databases, both accident data quality and availability are affected. Moreover, many data variables included in CARE lack reliability as the data are in many cases incomplete (few countries available or incomplete time series). Therefore the need for a common accident framework which would significantly enhance the CARE database with new and more compatible among the EU countries data and would allow for a comprehensive set of end products from all EU-27 member states to be progressively produced is considered essential. After elaborating this Common Accident Data Set, every EU country that wishes to update its data collection system could optionally and gradually adopt this proposed common data set. (Author/publisher)
Abstract