PATTERNS OF MCMIS CRASH FILE UNDERREPORTING IN OHIO

This is the second in a series of papers presenting the results of an evaluation of the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash file undertaken by the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The earlier study showed that reporting to the MCMIS Crash file was significantly incomplete. This document examines the sources of underreporting in more detail, at the state level. Ohio was selected for the evaluation. MCMIS Crash file records were matched to the Ohio Police Accident Report (PAR) file to determine the nature and extent of underreporting. It appears that officers are having difficulty applying the vehicle and crash severity criteria that define a MCMIS-eligible case, resulting in overreported and underreported cases. Trucks and buses operated by intrastate carriers are more likely to be overlooked, as are smaller rather than larger trucks. Local police departments, primarily in the largest cities, accounted for the majority of underreported cases.