The objective of this project was to develop, test and promote a scalable method for linking individual traffic crash records with EMS and trauma registry records using a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID).
Status: Complete, Pending Publication
Traffic safety professionals rely on high-quality data to understand crash severity, identify risk factors and evaluate the effectiveness of safety interventions. However, crash reports alone often provide limited information about injury outcomes.
Accurately measuring serious traffic crash injuries requires connecting data across multiple systems. While crash reports, emergency medical services (EMS) records and trauma registry data each provide valuable information, these datasets have historically existed in separate systems, making it difficult to develop a complete understanding of crash outcomes.
This project developed, validated and promoted a scalable approach for linking person-level traffic crash records with EMS and trauma registry records using a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID). The approach supports deterministic record linkage, improving the accuracy, efficiency and availability of connected traffic safety data.
The project builds upon recommendations from Development of a Comprehensive Approach for Serious Traffic Crash Injury Measurement and Reporting Systems, which outlined a roadmap for comprehensive crash injury data linkage systems. Since that report was published, technological advances and updates to national data systems have created new opportunities to strengthen these linkages.
