The road accident registration process in Flanders : quality control and best practices. It is obvious that the research quality depends on the data quality. In a road safety context the quality of the road accident statistics are crucial for road safety research. Therefore, the current accident registration process for Flanders is analyzed. The Flemish accident registration is struggling with issues such as under-reporting, inaccuracies, errors and problems with the availability of the road accident data. In the report, the quality of the road accident data is verified on accessibility, completeness, correctness, accuracy, timeliness and consistency. The current road accident registration process scores average on quality in general. The data has passed through many institutes such as ADSEI before the road accident statistics reach the users of this data (policy makers, researchers, …). However, the quality of the data, which is provided by the police by using road accident forms, has been improved a little by ADSEI (deaths 30 days) and the department of Mobility and Public Works (localization). In the search for best practices the accident registration methods of Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France are investigated. Finally the best practices and ideas for Flanders are formulated, based on the accident registration procedures abroad. There are several methods to improve the accident registration process. In this paper the relevant interoperable databases such as police databases, information of the courts, medical databases…; Geographical Information Systems, in-depth studies; a grossing-up factor; Personal Digital Assistants and GPS are discussed. (Author/publisher)
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