Crash preventability: FMCSA reviewed 5,600+ crashes in the demo, ~94% not preventable. That is not a delete button on every accident
FMCSA’s crash-preventability demo reviewed 5,600-plus crashes and found about 94 percent not preventable — that is still not a delete button.
What the notice actually said
The police report still lives in the file, whether or not a later program calls the crash not preventable. USDOT proposed making the crash preventability demonstration permanent after a demo that had run since August 2017.
FMCSA reviewed 5,600-plus crashes in that demo and found about 94 percent not preventable by the carrier or driver. That is the demo’s grant rate, not a fleet statistic you can paste onto our CSA packet.
The proposal would expand reviewable crash types from eight to fifteen and remove not-preventable crashes from the SMS Crash Indicator BASIC. Preventability is a defined set of crash flavors — struck in the rear, suicide, and the rest of the demo list — not every fender-bender.
Until a crash is ruled not preventable under the program rules, it can still sit in the data insurers scrape. Confirm what is live before you tell a shipper “FMCSA erased it.”
Chao announced the direction at MATS 2019. A speech is not a rule by itself. The program pages on fmcsa.dot.gov are where the request-and-review actually lives.
What it changes on Monday
We still want the police report. We still DataQ bad data. We do not sell “94 percent” as a CSA wipe, and we do not tell a broker every crash is the four-wheeler.
When the crash type fits the program, Safety decides whether we file. That is a request-and-review, not a caption on a rate confirmation.
DataQs when the record is wrong: DataQs clocks. Packet: For Brokers. Hire stack still includes PSP and Clearinghouse.
Safety owns crashes. Phone +1 (847) 702-8181 if you need the file conversation — not a blog statistic.
What we will — and will not — do
We will document the crash and file when the type fits. We will not hide a preventable crash behind a 94 percent demo rate.
We will not tell a shipper “FMCSA erased it” until the program has actually ruled. Confirm what is live; a 2019 proposal is not a morning-of delete button.
Safety file. +1 (847) 702-8181. Human on the desk if the question is our crash, not the national sample.
Short glossary
The jargon, in the order it showed up — no extra theory.
- Crash Indicator BASIC
- The SMS category that uses crash data. The proposal would exclude crashes found not preventable.
- Not preventable
- A program determination — not a driver’s opinion on the shoulder.
Official sources
Read the government original first. This page is our translation for people who quote lanes and hire drivers — not a substitute for the rulebook.
- USDOT crash preventability permanent proposal — Primary newsroom original.
This page is an industry briefing for shippers, brokers, and drivers. It is not legal advice. Confirm current rules in the Federal Register and on FMCSA.gov before you change a process.
FAQ
Does this hide a preventable crash?
No. The demo is about listed not-preventable types. A preventable crash stays a preventable crash.
94% of our crashes?
That is the demo’s grant rate across 5,600-plus reviewed crashes. It is not a PRIDEUSA fleet statistic.
Do we file?
When the crash type fits the program. Safety decides; it is a request-and-review, not a broker caption.
MATS?
Where Chao announced the direction in 2019 — not a rule by itself. Confirm the live program pages.
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