Third Party Submittal

To reduce crash-related injuries and fatalities in Illinois, it is vital that the department receive crash reports and data as quickly as possible. By processing this data in a timely manner, the department can ensure it is complete, accurate and available for statistical analysis, research and decision support. In the last 10 years, the overall injury and fatality counts have been declining in Illinois, but there is still more work to be done to continue that trend. The department is assisting law enforcement agencies by partnering with third-party crash reporting vendors to electronically submit the data that is captured in their reporting systems.

In an effort to work with state and local law enforcement agencies and software vendors, a new program has been implemented allowing submission of crash report data electronically through third-party XML vendors. The department defines the XML format and tests third-party vendor’s software before agencies are allowed to use their systems to submit crash reports electronically. Crash data is validated upon submittal, and if accepted successfully, a department authorized bar code number is assigned to each crash report. A number of third-party XML vendors have been approved to participate in this program. However, it is very important to note that the department will not accept electronic reports via third- party vendors that have not participated in the established registration and data verification process, designed to ensure that electronically submitted crash data meets a minimum level of quality.

The department encourages all law enforcement agencies to begin to move forward from paper submittals to electronic crash reporting.