The traffic crash database provides information on the frequency and severity of crashes within the state, demographic characteristics of individuals involved in crashes as well as weather, lighting or other related conditions associated with the crash incident.

^§ Note: Until 2008, the threshold for property damage was $500. Effective January 1, 2009, the threshold increased to $1,500 when all drivers are insured. However, if any driver does not have insurance, the threshold remains $500 (Illinois Traffic Crash Report SR 1050: Instruction Manual, p.6).

It is important to note that the 1996 data in this reporting system contains only a portion of the traffic crash records for that year. Only traffic crashes occurring on roads under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Transportation for the 1996 calendar year are represented in this reporting system.

In addition, Cook County data for 1997 through 1999 are limited. Only a fraction of the crashes that occurred in the City of Chicago are represented in the database during this time period.

In 2004, IDOT began implementing the Crash Information System (CIS), which is a new relational database management system. This system supports continuous updates to their data. For a given calendar year, crash reports will continue to be entered into the system regardless of the lag time between the crash event and electronic data entry. This ensures database completeness from a management perspective; however, users should be aware that the numbers obtained through the EMS Data Reporting System may be slightly different than totals published by others. Totals may vary depending upon the date that data was obtained from IDOT.

As noted above, in 2009 the threshold criteria for reporting Property Damage Only crashes was increased from $500 to $1,500 (if all involved drivers are insured). This change in law precludes comparison of 2009 and later Property Damage Only crashes and Total crashes with such crashes for previous years. This change did not affect the reporting of injury or fatal crashes.

The data available for querying in this reporting system constitute a subset of the entire crash report database. Sixteen data elements are utilized in this system. The data is aggregated in groups to protect record confidentiality and facilitate querying (for example, individuals age "53 years old" will be in the age grouping of "45-54" years old; while crashes that occurred in "February 1996" will be located in the time period of "1996 - Quarter One.") A brief description of each of the crash report data elements that can be queried in this system is listed below.

• Age - Provides specific age range groupings (e.g., age "1-4") for individuals contained in the database. The age is based on the individual's age on the date the crash occurred.

• Gender - Identifies gender using categories of "male," "female" or "unknown."

• Driver/Occupant - Defines the status of individuals involved in a traffic incident as either driver or occupant.

• Non-Occupant Type - Defines non-motor vehicle related traffic incidents involving a bicyclist, pedestrian or equestrian.

• Pedestrian Visibility - Identifies use of reflective or contrasting material/clothing by the pedestrian or bicyclist to aid in visibility.

• Safety Equipment - Provides information on safety equipment usage, (e.g., seatbelt/child restraint).

• Seat Position - Identifies whether the individual was seated in the front or back seat, or other position (e.g., hanging off) of the vehicle.

• Type of Vehicle - Categorizes the type of vehicle involved in the incident, (e.g., "passenger car").

• Collision Type - Defines the crash circumstances (e.g., involvement with "railroad train").

• Injury Severity - Categorizes the injury sustained by the individual involved in the crash based on an evaluation by the reporting officer.

• Severity of Crash - Categorizes the severity of the crash incident.

• Weather Conditions - Identifies the type of weather conditions under which the incident occurred (e.g., "snow").

• Lighting Conditions - Describes the degree/amount of lighting at the time of the crash (e.g., "dusk").

• Time Period - Denotes the time frame (by quarter) when the incident occurred. NOTE: In order to query data for an entire year, all four quarters for that year need to be selected.

• Day of Week - Identifies the specific day of the week that the crash incident took place (e.g., Wednesday).

• County of Occurrence - Identifies the specific county in which the crash occurred. NOTE: "Select ALL" is the default category for this data element. To submit a query for the entire state of Illinois, just select "All".

For a more detailed description of the data elements, please check the Data Dictionary page.

For help on query instructions, please review the Tutorial page.

To run a traffic crash database query, please click on Query Form option.

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