The National Safety Council defines a Near Miss as an unplanned event that does not result in injury or death, but could have.
For this reporting tool, PlanRVA recognizes that many collisions go unreported to police. This reporting tool aims to capture any event not formally reported.
Near misses and collisions are differentiated in the reporting form.
Reporting an unsafe condition or location is highly useful to other dashboard users and to PlanRVA staff.
Unsafe conditions are structural or environmental conditions that are likely to cause a crash.
Some examples of unsafe conditions are: locations lacking a sidewalk or bike lane, items blocking the sidewalk or bike lane, potholes, debris in roadway, or poor visibility.
About the Dashboard
The Near Miss Dashboard project was created to be a shareable online space for the public to submit close call events and road hazards to a database for analysis and mapping display.
The data collected from this dashboard will enable PlanRVA to incorporate near misses and collisions that go unreported to police into project scoring models, planning decisions, and educational efforts.
The information collected helps understand travel patterns, travel behavior, perceptions of safety, and focusing traffic safety enforcement actions.
The Near Miss Dashboard is intended for use within the boundaries of PlanRVA’s planning district. Submitted events outside of the planning district may not be useful.
The data submitted is fully anonymous.
PlanRVA holds the right to share this data with partner localities, local authorities or advocacy groups.
Any concerns about the data collected or its potential uses, please contact egreenwell@planrva.org.
If you want to submit a roadway or sidewalk maintenance request or have other traffic concerns, please contact your localities’ department of public works.
Submissions to the Near Miss Dashboard are fully anonymous and not tied to or retrievable based on any personal information.
Submissions are not a substitute for proper reporting of an accident or filing an insurance claim.
Submissions are not intended to be used for legal purposes. Reporting and event as a witness is not providing a witness statement and cannot help victims get compensation.
