Implementation of CODES

Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin were funded in 1992 to generate linked statewide crash and injury data and develop Crash Outcome Data Evaluation systems (CODES). With the CODES funding, the states first developed the skills to link their statewide data. Each state, with the exception of Wisconsin, linked statewide person-specific crash data to data collected during transport by EMS and after admission to an acute care facility. Wisconsin, because date of birth and zip code of residence were collected for each injured person, linked the crash directly to the hospital data. Some of the states expanded the linkage to also include emergency department, rehabilitation, long term care, death certificates and insurance claims data. Once the data were linked, each state developed state-specific applications in addition to performing the required analyses for the Report to Congress.
 

To encourage the development of more state specific applications for CODES linked data, a demonstration project provided funds in 1996 to three of the existing CODES states (New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) and three new states (Alaska, Connecticut, New Mexico) that had linked the statewide crash and injury data without CODES funds. This project generated 2 studies related to highway safety, 4 related to traffic safety, 2 related to health care costs, 2 related to injury control and one set of management reports.
 

The second round of CODES funding in 1997focused on developing applications for state-specific decision making related to highway traffic safety. The grant recipients were not burdened by the requirements for uniform reporting to Congress, Seven states were funded: Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
 

Subsequent rounds of funding in 1998 and 1999 also focused on developing state specific applications for the linked data that would enhance decision making for highway traffic safety. Kentucky, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and South Carolina were funded in 1998 and Arizona, Delaware, Minnesota and Tennessee were funded in 1999.
 

The following map displays the 23 states implementing CODES and the 2 states funded to demonstrate applications for linked data.
 

CODES1 - Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin

DEMO1 - 3 CODES States (New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) and three new states (Alaska, Connecticut, New Mexico)

CODES2 - Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota.

CODES3 - Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and South Carolina

CODES4 - Arizona, Delaware, Minnesota and Tennessee

* Non-CODES funded states (Alaska and New Mexico) are indicated in green
 

By October 1999, CODES was implemented in 50 percent or more of the states in six of the ten NHTSA regions.
 

IMPLEMENTATION OF CODES BY NHTSA REGION*
Reg 1	67%	Reg 6	40%
Reg 2	50%	Reg 7	75%
Reg 3	50%	Reg 8	50%
Reg 4	38%	Reg 9	75%
Reg 5	33%	Reg 10	25%
*Excludes Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Indian Nations, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands from therelevant denominators. Includes the District of Columbia.

NHTSA sponsors a CODES Workshop to encourage more states to develop data linkage capabilities. This Workshop provides information about the resources needed to implement CODES, the feasibility of linkage using the state's existing data resources, and the requirements for the management and institutionalization of CODES. The workshops provide states with the opportunity to convene the owners, major users and other stakeholders of the state data and discuss collaborative arrangements for implementing CODES. A CODES workshop may be scheduled by contacting NHTSA.