Improving Crash Reporting

Abstract

Crash report rates from tribal lands in South Dakota are generally low relative to the number of crashes estimated for those areas. The number of actual crashes on tribal lands in South Dakota was quantified for 2005 to describe the barriers to better crash reporting from tribal lands and to suggest remedies for poor crash reporting. The research team visited all nine reservations and worked with law enforcement agencies to retrieve crash data for 2005, as available. Seven hundred thirty-seven crashes were documented in some fashion by tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement agencies, although only 52 were reported with enough detail to be included in the South Dakota Accident Reporting System. After visiting the law enforcement offices for each reservation, the research team met with tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officials to discuss possible improvements to reporting. Three major ideas emerged from these discussions. The first was training for law enforcement officers on the crash forms and the crash-reporting process for South Dakota. The second concerned software solutions for internal tribal data processing and making the crash report form easier to complete. Finally, the political issues involved in crash reporting represent a significant barrier to improvement and are tied primarily to the overall relationship between tribes and the State of South Dakota. On the basis of the information gathered as part of the study, the research team made recommendations to the State of South Dakota for improving crash reporting from tribal lands.