Funded by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the Highway Safety Research Group (HSRG) at Louisiana State University (LSU) developed the LaCrash software application to enhance the paper uniform motor vehicle traffic crash report form in the state of Louisiana. By electronically reproducing the crash report form, the LACRASH software allows officers to enter accident reporting information using a laptop in their patrol car or a desktop computer in their office. The electronic submission of the data helps to collect traffic crash reporting information in a timelier manner. With the added benefits of software edits, GPS devices, and card swipes, information collected using LACRASH is more accurate and complete.

Benefits and Enhancements of LaCrash

• Timeliness: Electronic information is posted to the state's database four times faster than paper report information.
• Accuracy and Completeness: LaCrash application is integrated with Easy Street Draw software, allowing officers to easily make drawings of crash scenes; card swipe hardware to read driver license information; GPS hardware to easily identify where the crash occurred; and built-in edits to help obtain more accurate and complete information.
• Cost Effective: The LaCrash software, along with the GPS & card swipe hardware, are free to any law enforcement agency within Louisiana.
• Accessibility: Law enforcement agencies have full access to their own data. HSRG analyzes the crash data and distributes reports on its Web site, and LaCrash has a built-in reporting tool, allowing agencies to easily query their crash information.
• Environmentally friendly: LaCrash saves paper.