Government accident data repositories (e.g., NHTSA, FARS)
Government crash data repositories provide lawyers with reliable statistics and accident details. These databases are essential for building arguments, supporting expert testimony, and identifying broader safety trends in truck accident cases.

- Truck Accident Law Team
- 2 min read
Article 9 of 10 in Resources for Truck Accident Lawyers/

Government Accident Data Repositories for Truck Accident Lawyers
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Collects nationwide crash statistics, vehicle safety ratings, and traffic research.
- Provides annual Traffic Safety Facts Reports that include truck-related crashes.
- Useful for showing national trends in truck accident causes.
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
- Comprehensive database of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. since 1975.
- Contains details on drivers, vehicles, weather, road conditions, and contributing factors.
- Helps attorneys highlight patterns of negligence or industry risks.
General Estimates System (GES) / Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS)
- Collects nationally representative data on all police-reported crashes, not just fatal ones.
- Provides context for non-fatal truck accident cases.
State-Level Repositories
- Many states maintain their own crash databases.
- Examples: Texas Crash Records Information System (CRIS), California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS).
- Attorneys use these for jurisdiction-specific accident statistics.
Application in Litigation
- Strengthens expert witness testimony with government-backed statistics.
- Provides context for jury arguments by showing industry-wide safety issues.
- Supports policy arguments in appeals or legislative advocacy.
Advantages
- Free and publicly accessible.
- Considered highly reliable and credible in court.
- Data can be cross-referenced with FMCSA records for deeper analysis.
Summary: Government accident data repositories such as NHTSA and FARS provide truck accident lawyers with authoritative crash statistics and trends. These resources bolster case arguments, support expert testimony, and reveal systemic safety issues across the trucking industry.
You might also like:
- Tags:
- Expert Testimony
- Accident Lawyers
- Expert Witness
- Road Conditions
- State Level
- Trucking Industry
- Safety Administration
- Witness Testimony
- Weather Road
- Application Litigation
- Industry Wide
- Truck Accident Lawyers
- Weather Road Conditions
- Industry Wide Safety
- Expert Witness Testimony
- Free Publicly Accessible
- Accident Cases State
- Highway Traffic Safety
- National Highway Traffic
- Safety Administration Nhtsa
- Statistics Vehicle Safety
- Traffic Safety Administration
- Trends Truck Accident
- Truck Accident Causes
- Vehicle Safety Ratings