Update and improvement of the traffic accident data collection procedures in Spain : The METRAS method of sequencing accident events

Current road safety research is characterized by broadly using traffic accident data systematically collected by different bodies with the main objective of producing official statistics and guiding road safety policies and interventions. However, the use of these records for research purposes shows serious limitations, of which prime cause lies in the used instruments and procedures. In this context, a redesigning and modernisation of the traffic accident collection systems and more specifically of the traffic accident statistical form is currently being carried out in Spain by the competent public administration. With that, it is pretended to reach a substantial improvement of the data quality for its subsequent study from a perspective of statistical research of the accident rate and road safety.