PARTS
Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety
PARTS, short for Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety, is a partnership between automakers and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in which participants voluntarily share safety-related data for collaborative safety analysis. The goal of this government-industry initiative, which is operated by an independent third party, is to gain real-world insights into the safety benefits and opportunities of emerging advanced driver assistance systems — and one day automated driving systems.
Initial Study: Vehicles Equipped with FCW and AEB
PARTS released results of its first study — the largest government-automaker study to date about the real-world effectiveness of advanced driver assistance systems in passenger vehicles — in 2022. The study shows that vehicles equipped with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking reduced front-to-rear crashes by approximately half.
The study also found that:
- AEB continues to perform well in all conditions, even when roadway, weather, and lighting conditions are not ideal.
- Vehicles equipped with active intervention technologies that help drivers stay in their lane, such as lane keeping assistance and lane centering assistance, are effective in reducing single-vehicle crashes that lead to serious injury.
For the study, automobile manufacturers submitted vehicle data for approximately 47 million vehicles — 93 different vehicle models from 2015 to 2020 were included. In addition, NHTSA supplied data for more than 12 million police-reported crashes, involving 21.7 million vehicles in 13 states, to facilitate analysis. The MITRE Corporation, an independent and not-for-profit organization, analyzed the data sources. After linking the crash data with vehicle data that auto manufacturers supplied, more than 2.4 million crash-involved vehicles were part of the analysis. About half of the vehicles in this dataset are small and midsize cars, as well as SUVs.
Mission & Vision
Improve traffic safety in an enduring data-sharing partnership by generating unique analytic results that inform action.
Be an authoritative source for real-world, data-driven traffic safety information.
PARTS has begun a second study, which builds upon the five technologies analyzed in the first study. As part of this phase, PARTS is also collecting data for 10 additional technologies that may be used in future studies when there is sufficient market penetration to allow for an analysis. The following automakers, which account for approximately 80% of the U.S. passenger vehicle market, are part of the second study.
- American Honda Motor
- Ford
- General Motors
- Hyundai Motor North America
- Mazda North American Operations
- Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America
- Stellantis
- Subaru Corporation
- Toyota Motor North America
Data Submitted for Next Study
As with the first study, MITRE will provide participating automakers with aggregated, anonymized results they can use to assess the overall effectiveness of ADAS systems and benchmark their own vehicles against the overall aggregate average.
PARTS expects datasets to grow in future studies as more automobile manufacturers join PARTS and more police-reported crash data are added. In 2024, Hyundai and Kia joined PARTS, and now the automakers in the partnership account for approximately 85% of the U.S. passenger vehicle market.
More Information
FAQs
Why did PARTS form?
With today’s speed of innovation, NHTSA recognized the urgency to create new, dynamic approaches for learning more about how to improve safety and reduce the risk of vehicle crashes in real-world environments.
Who can join PARTS?
Currently, all automobile manufacturers can join PARTS. In the future, additional types of stakeholders will be included as the scope of work expands and the partnership matures.
What crashes are included?
NHTSA has provided data on police-reported crashes from 15 states: Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. In addition, Michigan provides police-reported crash data to MITRE for inclusion in the study. Additional crash data will be included in the future.
Is PARTS a voluntary partnership?
Yes, participation in the PARTS prototype is voluntary. Partners may choose to end participation at any time.
Is PARTS similar to the FAA’s data-sharing partnership?
PARTS was formed based on the successful model of the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) program. Since 2007, the FAA, the aviation industry, and an independent third party (The MITRE Corporation) have been collaborating to improve aviation safety through the program. ASIAS is a public-private partnership whose mission is to share critical information and proactively analyze aviation safety data to discover common, systemic problems, and to inform mitigations. The participants have learned how important it is to create a proactive safety culture where regulators and regulated entities work together within an atmosphere of trust. While the aviation and auto industries are different, NHTSA and automotive stakeholders believed they could adapt ASIAS to meet the unique needs of the auto industry. In 2017, a group of automobile manufacturers joined NHTSA and MITRE to begin exploring how the aviation program might be adapted for automotive transportation. In 2018, PARTS was formed.
How are decisions made on the objective and scope of PARTS analyses?
PARTS Governance Board’s decision-making process is consensus-based, meaning there must be agreement by all PARTS participants before PARTS moves forward with a decision or action. All PARTS participants, whether public or private, are peers, with decisions made by consensus for purposes of the partnership and each PARTS participant receiving one vote.
Does PARTS share the results of their studies?
Yes, the partnership released its first report, Real-World Effectiveness of Model Year 2015–2020 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, in November 2022.
How is PARTS funded and what does it cost to participate?
At the current time, PARTS is 100% funded by USDOT and no contribution of funds is required for an OEM to join PARTS. The funding model may change as the partnership matures.
What is the role of the independent third party?
The role of the independent third party is three-fold: 1) act as the independent convener and program integrator/manager; 2) act as the data steward, providing the secure data environment and infrastructure to protect and manage partner data and results; and 3) lead the technical analytic work, to include ingesting sensitive data from partners, processing it, conducting neutral and unbiased analysis, and providing results in a safe and secure manner.
The MITRE Corporation serves as the independent third party for PARTS. MITRE is a private, non-profit organization that operates Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and an independent research program that help government agencies, along with industry, address critical national and global challenges, including those around transportation safety.
What is the role of OEM partners?
Participating OEMs actively shape the direction of the partnership, to include identifying and scoping safety research studies and other projects. OEMs partners contribute data as well as staff time and expertise to assist in the use and interpretation of their data to support analysis. In addition, OEM partners participate in the exploration of new ideas, including proofs of concepts and prototyping, to help inform partnership decisions related to future safety research.
What is the role of USDOT and NHTSA?
USDOT, which NHTSA is part of, funds the partnership and works alongside industry participants to oversee and direct the work of PARTS as part of the PARTS Governance Board, including as co-chair. USDOT’s participation does not provide it with any special decision-making authority during the execution of PARTS. All decisions are made by consensus of the PARTS Governance Board, and NHTSA serves as one voting member on the PARTS Governance Board. The roles of NHTSA and OEMs are of peers within the partnership – each has an equal voice in the strategy, processes and procedures, and overall execution of the partnership.
If you would like to learn more about PARTS or for information on joining the partnership, email PARTS@mitre.org.
