Florida DOT Accident Investigation

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Toolbox for Transit Event Investigation
Florida DOT Project Manager Mike
Johnson Developed with funding from the
National Center for Transit Research and the
Florida Department of Transportation by the
Center for Urban Transportation
Research University of South Florida Project
Staff Deborah Sapper Amber Reep
MTAP Austin, TX November 2007
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Bus Transit Event Investigation Toolbox

• Purpose
• The Toolbox provides transit systems with
  procedures, guidelines, and best practices for
  conducting transit incident investigations.
• Oriented toward small, medium, rural transit
  systems, but useful/adaptable for large urban
  systems

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Bus Transit Event Investigation Toolbox

• The Toolbox does not replace existing federally
  offered training courses, but is intended to
  assist transit systems in implementing and
  complying with State and/or Federal requirements
  for conducting incident investigations.
• It is also intended to support the FTAs Model
  Bus Safety Program core element regarding safety
  data acquisition and analysis.
• Conducted case studies, site visits for transit
  systems to acquire best practices, procedures,
  guidelines
• North Carolina, New York, Texas, South Carolina,
  Washington, Florida

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Bus Transit Event Investigation Toolbox

• Contents
• DVD 42 minute step by step training video
• Pocket Guide with overview of responsibilities,
  procedures, and guidelines
• FTA - TSI Guidelines for Recordability
• Sample Forms, Reports, Checklists, Field
  Sketches, etc.
• Bus Incident, Reporting, Tracking and Analysis
  System

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Bus Transit Event Investigation Toolbox Contents
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Bus Transit Event Investigation Toolbox

• Pocket guide
• Provides transit systems
• a quick reference with guidance, procedures and
  best practices for
• conducting transit incident
• investigations.

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Bus Transit Event Investigation Toolbox

• Transportation Safety Institute (TSI)
• Guidelines to Determine Collision
• and Incident Recordability
• Developed to assist transit agencies in
• determining recordability/preventability
• of collisions and incidents, based on
• a high standard of defensive driving.
• Provides a series of situations and
• incident scenarios along with examples
• for actions that would make an incident
• recordable.

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Incident Reporting, Tracking, Analysis System
Database- Enter incident data into a
standardized form, run queries, view reports-
Analyze and report common trends in incident data
over time
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Training VideoThe 42-minute training video
provides guidance for conducting an incident
investigation.Topics covered

• Evidence Collection
• Tire Marks
• Skids
• Fluids
• Contact And Induced Damage
• Exterior And Interior Damage
• Photographs
• Field Sketching

• Vehicle Fires
• Event Data Recorders
• Interviews
• Drug And Alcohol Testing
• Incident Review Boards
• Police Reports
• Grading Systems
• Guidance For Recordability

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Bus Transit Event Investigation Toolbox

• Video and Toolbox are available for download on
  the
• Transit Bus Safety Resource Guide Website
• www.cutr.usf.edu/bussafety
• Further Information
• Mike Johnson jamesmike.johnson_at_dot.state.fl.us
• Debbie Sapper sapper_at_cutr.usf.edu
• Thank You..Questions