Discovering the cause of an accident can often be difficult for those who are gathering statistics to try make roads safer.
The current police form of reporting accidents cannot always exactly pinpoint where that accident occurred, especially if it's not an intersection. But transportation officials are hoping a new way, using a global positioning system, will allow them to better track exactly where accidents occur.
That new form was discussed this week during the Mississippi Transportation Initiative Annual Conference, being held this week at the Pearl River Resort.
When safety officials sort through statistics, the technology would better tell the story of where the accidents occur, and also why they might have happened. Then law enforcement can go about looking for solutions, if there is a particularly dangerous part of the road.
The new form is expected to go into effect in March 2003. When it does, transportation officials hope it will allow them to use the stats they gather to make the roads safer.