New to Crash Query? In this tutorial, you'll build your first crash query from start to finish: find the fatal and serious injury crashes in one county, look at a single crash, spot a pattern in the metrics, save your query, and download a report.
The examples use Dane County, Wisconsin. Follow along with a county you work on; the steps are the same.
ℹ️ Note: The fields, values, and colors you see depend on your organization's configuration, so your screen may look a little different.
Open Crash Query
Open Crash Query from the apps menu. A new query opens with the Filter Bar across the top, the map in the middle, and the Sidebar on the right.
(A new query)
If your organization adds default filters to every new query, you'll already see them in the Filter Bar. You can keep or remove them.
Filter Crashes
Start by narrowing the map to the crashes you care about.
Filter to One County
Click Add Filter.
Type County in the search box and choose your county field. In this example, it's County (Crash Report).
Type your county's name, check it, and click Apply.
(Choosing a county)
💡 Tip: The County (Crash Report) field uses the county written in the crash report. A geo filter, such as County Geo-Located (Geo), uses the crash's location on the map instead, so the two can return different counts. Geo filters have (Geo) in their names. See Location Filters - Geo vs. Non-Geo Filters to choose the right one.
Add Crash Severity
Click Add Filter again, type Severity, and choose your crash severity field. In this example, it's Crash Injury Severity.
Check the fatal and serious injury values (here, Fatal Injury (K) and Suspected Serious Injury (A)), then click Apply.
(Choosing crash severities)
The map, crash count, and metrics in the Sidebar update right away.
(Both filters applied)
💡 Tip: A crash has to match every filter in the Filter Bar (County and Crash Injury Severity), but only one of the values you checked in a filter (Fatal Injury or Suspected Serious Injury). Learn more in How Filters Work Together.
Check the Date Range
The date range at the top right sets which crashes are included by date. Click it to change the dates.
View a Crash
Zoom in on the map until you see numbered crash clusters. The number is how many crashes the cluster holds.
Click a cluster to break it apart. Zoom in more if the crashes are still grouped.
Click a single crash. The Crash Flyout opens on the right.
(The Crash Flyout)
The details you see depend on your organization's configuration. Click the X at the top right of the flyout to close it. If a crash doesn't belong in your query, you can exclude it from the flyout.
Use Metrics
The Metrics tab in the Sidebar breaks your filtered crashes down by attribute, with counts and percentages. Use it to spot patterns.
Scroll through the metrics and find one that stands out, such as Manner of Collision.
Hover over a value, such as Front To Rear. If + Add a filter shows below it, you can filter by it. Not every metric can be a filter.
Click the value to add it as a filter. The map and metrics now show only those crashes.
(Adding a filter from Metrics)
To go back, click the X on that filter in the Filter Bar.
Save a Query
Click Save at the top right.
Type a name, such as My First Query. Choose a category, or leave it blank to use Uncategorized.
Click Save.
(Saving the query)
Your filters, date range, metrics, and exclusions are saved with the query. To open it later, click Home at the top left and find it in your library.
(Home opens your saved queries)
Download a Report
Finish by downloading a PDF report of your query to share.
Click Download at the top right, next to the date range.
Choose Summary.
(Choosing a report)
3. Type a report title, and add who requested it if you like. Then click Create Report.
(Report options)
4. A preview of the report opens. Click Save & Download at the top right.
(The report preview)
The PDF downloads to your computer and is saved in Reports > Archives, where you can download it again. The report uses your current filters and date range. To export the crash records as a spreadsheet instead, use the Raw Table tab in the Sidebar.
Click Back to go back to your query.
Next Steps
You've built your first crash query, saved it, and downloaded a report. When you're ready for more, try these: