TSSR FAQ
General
I can’t open the TSSR with Internet Explorer.
Can I export a table to Excel?
Why are the crash and ticket numbers provided by ITSMR different from my police agency’s actual crash reports and tickets issued?
ITSMR provides data on police-reported fatal and personal injury crashes and select tickets issued by law enforcement agency via our PTS Data Form. These data include numbers of crashes submitted to the DMV that were “reportable,” meaning a motor vehicle crash reported by a police officer or a motorist, in which there was a fatality, a person injured, and/or property damage of more than $1,000 to the vehicle of one person. Crashes that occurred in parking lots or on private property are excluded. The ticket counts include only those tickets issued by the police agency and submitted to the DMV.
In the TSSR ITSMR also provides Crash Data by County and Municipality and Ticket Data by County and Municipality. The crash data here include reportable crashes that occurred within the municipality, regardless of the agency that submitted the crash reports. The ticket data here include the municipality where the tickets were issued, regardless of the agency that submitted the tickets. In the TSSR report County Traffic Tickets — Select Violations by Enforcement Agency, tables show TSLED tickets issued by enforcement agency and submitted to the DMV.
Tickets submitted to the DMV after DMV has given ITSMR the okay to finalize the ticket data for a calendar year will not appear in that year’s totals.
What data are available in the TSSR?
The TSSR currently contains information about motor vehicle crashes and traffic tickets issued to motorists on New York’s roadways. The crash data are obtained from the Accident Information System (AIS) maintained by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The ticket data reflect information captured by three systems:
- Traffic Safety Law Enforcement and Disposition (TSLED), maintained by the DMV
- Administrative Adjudication (AA), maintained by the DMV
- A third system that captures data about impaired driving tickets issued in New York City, maintained by the NYPD.
How often are the data updated?
Preliminary crash data are added to the repository monthly. It is important to note that the monthly updates to the preliminary data will include new or additional information, with the final counts for the year traditionally being available in September of the following year. You can find the current snapshot date on the Data Sources within the TSSR application. Traffic ticket data are updated quarterly.
What can I learn about crashes in New York State?
In addition to data on crashes statewide or at the county level, you can see reports on different types of crashes, including motorcycle, pedestrian, bicycle and large truck crashes, as well as alcohol-related, drug-related, and speed-related crashes. The reports provide a variety of data, including
- Number of persons killed and injured, by their role in the crash (driver, passenger, pedestrian, bicyclist) and by age
- Driver age and gender
- Safety equipment used (restraints and helmets)
- Day of week/time of day of the crash
- Crash contributing factors
What can I learn about traffic tickets issued in New York State?
You can see ticket reports at the statewide and county levels, showing the overall numbers of traffic tickets issued and separate totals for speeding, cell phone, texting, safety restraints, and impaired driving citations. For selected types of tickets a variety of information is displayed, including
- Enforcement agencies that issued the tickets
- Tickets by section of law
- Driver age and gender
- Driver license jurisdiction
- Region
- Day of week/time of day
- Month
- Tickets issued for companion violations
- Adjudication status and conviction rates
Crashes
Is location data available other than county?
For crash data at the street level, NYS government employees can request access to NYS DOT’s Accident Location and Information System (ALIS), here: https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/operating/osss/highway/alis.
Others can request crash data from DOT’s FOIL office: https://www.dot.ny.gov/main/foil-form-challenge .
What is the difference between fatal crashes and fatalities?
Fatalities refer to people, whereas crashes refer to the crash event. One fatal crash (the event) may involve more than one vehicle and more than one fatality.
Why is the number of fatal or personal injury crashes lower than the number of fatalities or persons injured?
Fatalities and persons injured refer to people, whereas crashes refer to the crash event. One fatal crash (the event) may involve more than one vehicle and more than one fatality. Similarly, one personal injury crash may involve more than one vehicle and more than one person injured. If more than one person is killed/injured in a crash, the most severe injury level is used to set crash severity.
Why are the AIS/TSSR crash fatality numbers sometimes different from the NHTSA/FARS numbers for New York State?
The FARS fatality numbers include persons who died in snowmobile/ATV crashes with or without collision with a motor vehicle traveling on a public road, while the NYS AIS/TSSR numbers do not include persons who died in snowmobile/ATV crashes without collision with a motor vehicle traveling on a public road. Also, the annual AIS/TSSR crash data are finalized in September of the following year; whereas the annual FARS data are finalized in the fall of the second following year. For example, crash data for 2017 would have been finalized in the TSSR by September 2018 and in FARS during fall 2019.
Will maps be available for crashes?
Not at this time in the TSSR. However, NYS government employees can request access to NYSDOT’s Accident Location and Information System(ALIS), here: https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/operating/osss/highway/alis
Others can request crash data from DOT’s FOIL office: https://www.dot.ny.gov/main/foil-form-challenge
What can I learn about crashes in New York State?
In addition to data on crashes statewide or at the county level, you can see reports on different types of crashes, including motorcycle, pedestrian, bicycle and large truck crashes, as well as alcohol-related, drug-related, and speed-related crashes. The reports provide a variety of data, including
- Number of persons killed and injured, by their role in the crash (driver, passenger, pedestrian, bicyclist) and by age
- Driver age and gender
- Safety equipment used (restraints and helmets)
- Day of week/time of day of the crash
- Crash contributing factors
Can the crash data from the alcohol-related reports and the drug-related reports be added together to come up with a total for impaired driving?
No, the data in the alcohol-related and drug-related reports are not mutually exclusive because some crashes involve both alcohol and drugs. However, for data on the total number of crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs, see the separate reports on Impaired Crashes at the Statewide and County levels on the TSSR > Crash Reports.
What is the difference between a speed-related crash and a crash where Unsafe Speed is a contributing factor?
A speed-related crash is a crash where the police checked Unsafe Speed as a contributing factor on the police accident report and/or a crash where a driver was issued a ticket for speeding. Therefore, crashes where Unsafe Speed is a contributing factor are a subset of all speed-related crashes.
For the “Safety Equipment Use” sections, are air bags included in “Restraint Used”?
No. Air bags are passive restraints; if the use of a seatbelt or other “active” safety equipment is not reported in conjunction with an airbag, reports of “air bag deployed” are included under “No Restraint Used.”
Can you provide a report showing persons killed or injured by age group and safety equipment used? By just front seat occupants?
Yes, several sections on safety equipment use are available on the TSSR > Crash Reports, under Statewide Crashes and County Crashes.
Can I request a report on another topic, such as distracted driving crashes?
Yes. Please submit your request to TSSR Help by submitting a message through our contact form. We will consider all requests and set priorities based on discussions with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
Can I create a cross-tabulated report, for example, contributing factors by month?
No, but you may submit your request to TSSR Help through our contact form. We will consider all requests and set priorities based on discussions with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
Will census data be made available, so that I can compare data from counties with similar population size?
Yes. A table showing county crash, fatality and injury rates per 10,000 population and per 10,000 licensed drivers is available in the TSSR > Crash Reports > County Crash Summary report.
Is data available on licensed drivers?
Yes. You can find data on licensed drivers within these reports/sections under the
TSSR > Crash Reports:
- NYS Crash Summary > Statewide Rates
- County Crash Summary > County Crash and F&PI Rates; Licensed Drivers and Drivers Involved in F&PI Crashes by Age
- County Impaired Crash Summary > Licensed Drivers, Impaired Drivers in F&PI Crashes, and Drivers Arrested for Impaired Driving by Age
- County Motorcycle Crash Summary > Motorcycle Registrations and Licenses
Can you provide a Young Driver Crashes report at the County level? Can you provide the number/percent of licensed young drivers by county?
Yes, a separate county-level Young Driver report is available. Licensed Drivers and Drivers Involved in F&PI Crashes by Age is available on the TSSR > Crash Reports, County Crash Summary.
Can I get access to raw data sets?
Yes. You can submit a request to the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Transportation.
Do you get crash data from other agencies, e.g., Department of Health?
Although the Department of Health captures additional data related to motor vehicle crashes, such as detailed injury data, the data are not publicly available because of confidentiality rules.
Can you provide data on serious injuries?
Yes. We have added a breakdown by injury severity to the Fatalities/Persons Injured sections as well as to the Safety Equipment Use sections in both the Statewide and the County reports.
Does the TSSR have information on crashes involving horse and buggies?
Unfortunately, animal-powered vehicle crashes cannot be identified in the data by electronic means.
Why do property damage crash numbers go up significantly between 2017 and 2018?
Changes were made to the Police Accident Report form with regards to the capture and reporting of property damage crashes so the users will see a significant increase in the numbers in 2018 compared to previous years.
Help/Contact
Where is the User Guide?
For your convenience, there is a link to the User Guide at the top right-hand corner of the TSSR page.
Who can I contact if I need additional help?
You can send an email with your question or issue to TSSR Help by submitting a message through our contact form. An ITSMR staff member will get back to you.
You can also call ITSMR directly at (518) 453-0291.
Who should I contact if I see a problem or issue with the TSSR?
Please send an email with details regarding any problems or issues to TSSR Help by submitting a message through our contact form. We appreciate your assistance in reporting anything amiss.
Interactive Features
Can I export a table to Excel?
Yes. Click the 3 dots in the top right corner of a table or graph and select Export data… Select desired options in the Export Data dialog box, then click Export. You can open or save the resulting file.
How does the Report Type dropdown work?
Report Type allows you to filter the results in the tables by just police crash reports (select Police-Reported Crashes), or by the default, All Reportable Crashes (select Clear Filter), which include both police crash reports and motorist crash reports. Some of the tables include data that are available only from police crash reports. For more information see the TSSR User Guide.
How does the Year checklist work?
Year allows you to filter the results in the tables by a single year (the default is the most recent finalized year of crash data) or by multiple years. Uncheck the boxes to view all the years in the repository. For more information see the TSSR User Guide.
Why am I seeing Preliminary* in the Year checklist?
Data for years that are not yet finalized are tagged “Preliminary” until the file is complete and the final clean-up has been conducted. Data are typically finalized by September of the following year.
If I look at the same report in a month or two, will anything be different?
Crash data for years that have been finalized will remain the same, but crash data for years labeled
Preliminary* may change based on new information. Check the current snapshot date on the TSSR >Data Sources.
Does the TSSR contain real-time data?
The TSSR does not contain real-time data. Preliminary crash data are refreshed monthly. Check the current snapshot date on the TSSR >Data Sources.
Why are charts not available for county crash reports?
In many cases, the numbers for an individual county are so small that showing them in bar charts is not useful. Complete data for each county is available in tabular form in the County Crash Summary reports.
Will TSSR performance slow down if too many reports are open at the same time?
No, the in-memory server provides fast data analysis.
Can I export a graph?
Can I view the TSSR on my tablet or smartphone?
Yes. TSSR can now be viewed on a mobile device.
Tickets
What can I learn about traffic tickets issued in New York State?
You can see ticket reports at the statewide and county levels, showing the overall numbers of traffic tickets issued and separate totals for speeding, cellphone, texting, safety restraints, and impaired driving citations. For selected types of tickets a variety of information is displayed, including
- Enforcement agencies that issued the tickets
- Tickets by section of law
- Driver age and gender
- Driver license jurisdiction
- Region
- Day of week/time of day
- Month
- Tickets issued for companion violations
- Adjudication status and conviction rates
What sections of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) are used to capture tickets issued for an alcohol violation?
- Section 1192.1 – DWAI (Driving while ability impaired)
- Section 1192.2 – Per Se (Driving with BAC equal to or greater than 0.08)
- Section 1192.2aa – Aggravated DWI (Driving with BAC equal to or greater than 0.18)
- Section 1192.2ab – Aggravated DWI (Driving with BAC equal to or greater than 0.18 and having a child age 15 or younger in the vehicle)
- Section 1192.3 – DWI (Driving while intoxicated)
What sections of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) are used to capture tickets issued for a drug violation?
- Section 1192.4 – DWAI (Driving while ability impaired by drugs)
- Section 1192.4a – Driving while ability impaired by combined influence of alcohol and drugs