State of Colorado INVESTIGATING OFFICER’S CRASH REPORTING MANUAL Version 1.01 / Revised October 2, 2019 CONTACT INFORMATION Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division Traffic Records Section Denver, Colorado 80261-0016 PO BOX 173350 Denver, CO 80261-3350 Phone number (303) 205-5613 THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 The Crash Reporting Manual ............................................................................................................. 1 Origins of the Manual .................................................................................................................. 1 Changes in Crash Reporting ....................................................................................................... 2 The Growing Importance of Data ................................................................................................. 2 Significant Changes with the DR3447.......................................................................................... 3 General Guidelines ................................................................................................................................ 7 The DR3447 Legal Document ........................................................................................................... 7 Juvenile-Related Data ................................................................................................................. 8 Completing the DR3447 Crash Report ............................................................................................... 9 Criteria for a Crash to be Reportable ........................................................................................... 9 Guidance Regarding Intent........................................................................................................ 11 Entering A Person’s Name ........................................................................................................ 12 What Constitutes a Crash Fatality? .................................................................................................. 13 Fatal-Only Section of the Form .................................................................................................. 14 Fatal-Only Section of the Manual .............................................................................................. 14 What Constitutes a Serious Injury .................................................................................................... 15 Serious Injury/Fatal-Only Section of the Form............................................................................ 15 Serious Injury/Fatal-Only Section of the Manual ........................................................................ 16 Traffic Crash Report Instructions ....................................................................................................... 17 Overview of the DR3447 Crash Form .............................................................................................. 17 The DR3447 Crash Report Package................................................................................................ 17 Manual Conventions ........................................................................................................................ 18 Form Field Numbering............................................................................................................... 20 Traffic Unit Number ................................................................................................................... 20 MAIN CRASH REPORT PAGE (Page A) ......................................................................................... 22 Header Fields ........................................................................................................................... 24 Crash Type Check Boxes .......................................................................................................... 25 Crash Date/Time Fields............................................................................................................. 28 Guidance .................................................................................................................................. 28 Officer Fields ............................................................................................................................. 31 Summary Fields ........................................................................................................................ 33 Crash Reporting Manual | i The Crash Location ................................................................................................................... 37 The Roadway Check Boxes ...................................................................................................... 46 Example.................................................................................................................................... 48 Harmful Events ......................................................................................................................... 62 To Be Completed Only For Fatalities ......................................................................................... 72 Supervisor Approval .................................................................................................................. 74 NARRATIVE/DIAGRAM (Page B) .................................................................................................... 76 Header Fields ........................................................................................................................... 78 Form Fields ............................................................................................................................... 79 Required Diagram Elements ..................................................................................................... 81 Damaged Property Fields .......................................................................................................... 85 MOTORIZED TRAFFIC UNIT/OCCUPANT (Page C) ...................................................................... 88 Handling Different Vehicle Circumstances ................................................................................. 90 Header Fields ........................................................................................................................... 91 Overall Fields ............................................................................................................................ 92 Driver Fields.............................................................................................................................. 94 Vehicle Owner Fields ................................................................................................................ 98 Vehicle Fields ......................................................................................................................... 100 Vehicle Damage Fields ........................................................................................................... 102 Trailer Fields ........................................................................................................................... 105 Vehicle – To Complete Only for Fatalities ................................................................................ 107 Driver/Occupant Fields ............................................................................................................ 109 Occupant Airbag Fields ........................................................................................................... 116 Person Injury Severity Field ..................................................................................................... 118 Impairment Fields ................................................................................................................... 120 To Complete Only for Fatalities or Certain Injuries ................................................................... 122 To Complete Only for Fatalities ............................................................................................... 123 TRAFFIC UNIT/GENERAL VEHICLE AND CMV (Page D) ............................................................ 125 Header Fields ......................................................................................................................... 127 General Vehicle Data Fields .................................................................................................... 128 Autonomous Vehicles ............................................................................................................. 138 Commercial Motor Vehicle Data Fields .................................................................................... 140 Filling Out the CMV Fields ....................................................................................................... 142 TRAFFIC UNIT/NON-MOTORIST (Page E) ................................................................................... 150 Header Fields ......................................................................................................................... 152 ii | Crash Reporting Manual Involved Person/Non-Motorist Fields ....................................................................................... 164 To Complete Only for Fatalities or Suspected