In 2022, NHTSA launched the Vulnerable Road User In-Depth Crash Investigation Study (VICIS, pronounced “viscous”) to operate under the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS). In VICIS, KLD’s crash technicians conduct an investigation of crashes that meet these factors:
- a pedestrian is struck by the frontal plane of a passenger vehicle, SUV, or light truck.
- the striking vehicle is a 2004 model or newer.
The investigator conducts vehicle and scene inspections, interviews, and collects medical records to create a complete understanding of the causal factors and injuries in these pedestrian crashes.
Data collection began at 4 selected sites in July of 2022, and will continue through the end of the calendar year, or until sufficient data have been collected. Once complete, these data will be highly valuable for the engineering of both crash-avoidance and injury-mitigation technologies on new cars. The data will also inform methodologies and practices for the permanent collection of pedestrian crash data to the Crash Investigation Sampling System, as prescribed in the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
