An Online Reporting System for Traffic Safety
A web-based study at www.accident-report.org is building a cohort of individuals who anonymously submit the details of all near misses or crashes they experience after joining the study (and up to four weeks prior to joining). This study is a project of the National Study Center for Trauma and EMS, which is based at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The unique value of self-reported near miss and accident information promises a valuable resource for traffic safety research. It is envisioned to continue indefinitely, an evolving instrument capable of providing timely information relevant to the emerging issues of the day.

The primary aim of the study is to determine the relative risk associated with all types of distracted driving (and the combined effects). Analyses will also examine how these distraction risks vary based on traffic characteristics, road/weather conditions, etc., and by whether an evasive action was possible, a loss of control had occurred, or the person was at-fault. The resulting estimates of crash risk will then correspond to the few seconds prior to a possible crash, providing critical information on how one can increase their odds of avoiding a crash. Finally, the collection of information about many thousands of near misses will be very valuable in itself. The untold thousands of crashes that are narrowly averted remain effectively "hidden" to researchers, information that can provide new information on what works to break the accident chain before a crash occurs.