FAQ
Why is Minnesota replacing the current system? The current Crash Records System is 30+ years old and does not allow for technological or data improvement changes.
Who will use the new system? All reportable motor vehicle crashes need to be entered in the new system.
Will the definition of a “reportable crash” change? No; the threshold remains any injury or fatality, or a total of $1,000 or more in property damage.
When will the new system be live? January 1, 2016
How will I access the crash entry application? The application will be accessed through MyBCA. This allows officer information such as name, badge, and agency to auto populate the crash application. A separate Standalone Client option also exists that will allow data to be captured without internet connection and upload crash reports when an internet connection exists.
What about the current Police Accident Report form? All reports must be submitted electronically in the new system. New paper forms will not be printed.
Someone mentioned “Smart Mapping” what exactly is this? When using the State provided system, persons entering crash data will click the crash location on a map and the location attributes will be auto filled by the application. These fields include: County, City/Township, Route System, street names, X and Y coordinates, and MnDOT specific elements.
When and where will training take place? Training will be delivered in multiple ways. The State will provide Train the Trainer sessions throughout the State, online tutorials, an online manual, and training sessions before the Toward Zero Deaths Conference in October.
Training begins September 8th and is scheduled through November 5th. Register for a Train the Trainer session here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Crash_Records_Training_Registration Do the agencies need to provide any IT support? Agencies can use the web version of the software that functions similarly to the current system. Computer administration rights may be required the first time the diagram tool is opened due to the new version of Easy Street Draw© within the application. Agencies also have the option of downloading a stand-alone version of the application to collect crash data locally and submit when connection to the internet is available.
Where can I get updates on the status of the project and upcoming events? The Office of Traffic Safety will be posting status updates to the OTS website.
Our agency has our own records management system; will we be able to submit crash reports from our system to the State’s? An interface will be provided for this purpose. However the data elements and values are changing, so the submitted data must follow the new schema which will be available by the end of September, 2015.
If I run a DL or Vehicle query in my mobile system can I use the data returned to populate the information in the Crash Records System? Most likely “yes” when using the stand-alone version of the Crash software. The vendor will work with agencies to make sure an interface is available for most mobile vendor returns.
Our agency does not have internet connectivity in our squads, has any provision been made for this? Yes, the new system will allow the data to be captured locally and submitted when there is internet connectivity, as well as web version (from either the squad or office) similar to what we have now.
Who can I contact if I have specific questions?
Please direct questions to Kathleen Haney, Traffic Records Coordinator at [email protected]