Hazardous Materials Transportation Incident Data for Root Cause Analysis

While there has been considerable progress in the development of hazardous materials accident databases, the coverage of incidents reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation is insufficiently comprehensive for identifying root causes or contributors to incidents. This research focused on potential technical improvements to hazardous materials accident databases that are collected and managed by various agencies. The research identified gaps and redundancies in reporting requirements and estimated the extent of the under-reporting of serious incidents. The scope included all transportation modes covered by 49 CFR Parts 100-180. The report can be used by public agencies and industry to identify and prioritize measures that could further enhance the usefulness of hazardous materials transportation incident data.