Crash Indicator BASIC
The SMS category that scores a carrier's crash history from state-reported crash data, weighted by severity and recency, over a 24-month window. FMCSA withholds it from public SMS view — CarrierOk computes it in-house and serves it via API alongside the other six BASICs.
Learn moreWhat is Crash Indicator BASIC?
The Crash Indicator is one of the seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories in FMCSA's Safety Measurement System, and the only one built from crash records rather than inspection violations. It uses state-reported crashes involving the carrier over a rolling 24-month window — reportable crashes generally involve a fatality, an injury requiring immediate medical treatment away from the scene, or a vehicle towed from the scene. Each crash is weighted by severity (crashes with injuries or fatalities weigh more than tow-aways) and by recency (recent crashes count more than older ones), and the resulting measure is normalized by the carrier's exposure and ranked against peers to produce a 0-100 percentile. Crucially, the Crash Indicator counts crashes regardless of fault, except those ruled not preventable through FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program. Because of that accountability debate, FMCSA withholds Crash Indicator percentiles (along with Hazmat) from the public SMS website — the score exists and drives enforcement prioritization, but the public cannot see it. This is exactly why data providers that compute it matter: CarrierOk calculates all seven BASIC percentiles in-house from the underlying crash and inspection data, so underwriters and brokers can screen on the crash-history dimension that public tools hide.
Why does crash indicator basic matter?
Insurance Underwriters
Crash history is the single most predictive dimension for future losses, and it's the one FMCSA hides from public view — an elevated Crash Indicator percentile that never appears on SAFER is precisely the signal your competitors without computed BASICs are missing.
Freight Brokers
A carrier can show clean public BASICs while carrying a high Crash Indicator — screening only on the five public categories leaves your largest liability exposure unchecked.
Developers & Platforms
basic_percentile_crash_indicator is a differentiated field you cannot scrape from public FMCSA sites — pair it with crashes_total to give risk models both the peer-relative rank and the raw event count.
Key values & thresholds
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Data Source | State-reported crashes (MCMIS) |
| Window | 24 months, recency-weighted |
| Severity Weighting | Injury/fatality > tow-away |
| Public Visibility | Withheld from public SMS |
Crash Indicator BASIC in the CarrierOk API
This data is available via the /v2/profile endpoint. The following fields are returned in the carrier profile:
/v2/profilebasic_percentile_crash_indicatorcrashes_totalFrequently asked questions
Why isn't the Crash Indicator BASIC shown publicly?
FMCSA withholds Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials percentiles from its public SMS display because of long-running debate over crash accountability — most state crash reports do not assign fault, so the score counts crashes a carrier may not have caused. The data still exists in FMCSA's systems and is used internally for enforcement prioritization. CarrierOk computes the Crash Indicator percentile in-house from the underlying crash data, making it available via API to underwriters and brokers who need the complete seven-BASIC picture.
Does the Crash Indicator count crashes that weren't the carrier's fault?
Generally yes. The Crash Indicator uses all reportable state-recorded crashes regardless of fault, on the reasoning that crash involvement itself predicts future crash risk. The exception is FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program: crashes in specific eligible categories — for example, being struck while legally parked or hit by a wrong-way driver — can be submitted through DataQs, and if ruled not preventable they are excluded from the Crash Indicator calculation.
What counts as a reportable crash for the Crash Indicator?
A crash generally becomes reportable — and enters the Crash Indicator calculation — when it involves a fatality, an injury requiring immediate medical treatment away from the scene, or a vehicle being towed from the scene due to disabling damage. Minor incidents that don't meet those thresholds typically don't appear in federal data. Within the 24-month scoring window, crashes with injuries or fatalities receive heavier severity weights than tow-away-only crashes, and more recent crashes are weighted more heavily than older ones.
Related terms
BASIC Percentile
A 0-100 peer-relative safety score across seven FMCSA categories: Unsafe Driving, HOS, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances, Driver Fitness, Hazmat, and Crash Indicator. Higher is worse. CarrierOk computes all 7 BASICs including the two FMCSA withholds from public view.
CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)
FMCSA's enforcement and compliance program that uses the Safety Measurement System to identify and prioritize high-risk motor carriers for intervention. CSA drives BASIC percentile scores, warning letters, and compliance reviews. CarrierOk provides all 7 BASIC percentiles, alert flags, and historical trend data via API.
SMS (Safety Measurement System)
FMCSA's quantitative system for measuring motor carrier safety performance using inspection, crash, and investigation data. SMS produces the BASIC percentile scores that underpin the CSA enforcement program. CarrierOk computes all 7 BASIC percentiles from SMS source data and updates more frequently than FMCSA's monthly cycle.
DataQs
FMCSA's online system for challenging incorrect inspection, crash, and registration data through Requests for Data Review (RDRs). A successful RDR removes or corrects the record and recalculates the carrier's SMS scores. CarrierOk reflects post-DataQs corrections as they flow through FMCSA's data releases.
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