CODES is a collaborative approach to obtain medical and financial outcome
information related to motor vehicle crashes for highway safety and injury
control decision making. It evolved as the result of the Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 which provided funds
to the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to report to Congress
about the benefits of safety belts and motorcycle helmets for persons involved
in motor vehicle crashes. To measure benefits in terms of reducing
death, disability, and medical costs, NHTSA determined that statewide data
were needed that included all persons involved in police-reported crashes
-- those who were injured or who died as well as those who were not injured.
In this manner, comparisons between those using and not using safety
belts or motorcycle helmets could be made by identifying and contrasting
the characteristics of the injured and uninjured persons within each of the
restraint use groups. The CODES Report on the Benefits of Safety Belts
and Helmets was delivered to Congress in February, 1996, and is
available for download as a pdf document.
Please
send any comments to:
ncsaweb@nhtsa.dot.gov