Strategies to Improve Reporting of Impaired and Distracted Driving in Motor Vehicle Crashes 2026

An official website of the United States government. Here's how you know

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser's address (or "location") bar.

This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that's been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

May 20th, 2026

Crash reports are the primary source of data for identifying crash types, involved persons and vehicles, contributing factors, and crash patterns and trends. Researchers and policy makers depend on crash report data to identify problems, select and evaluate countermeasures, and analyze the effectiveness of safety measures and policies designed to reduce motor vehicle crash frequency and severity. Despite their importance, crash report data are historical and often incomplete or inaccurate because of misreporting.

Strategies to Improve Reporting of Impaired and Distracted Driving in Motor Vehicle Crashes 2026