D20 Overview

The Data Element Dictionary for Traffic Records Systems (herein referred to as D20, or the Dictionary) provides standard terminology and coding instructions designed to facilitate representations of data elements communicated between jurisdictions. As the use of computerized data systems for the administration of programs related to motor vehicles increases, the need for the transfer of data among systems and jurisdictions also steadily rises. The Dictionary is intended to promote uniformity in the transmission of records in the following areas:

• Motor Vehicle Registration and Titling
• Driver and Commercial Drivers Licensing
• Highway Inventory and Traffic
• Crashes and Emergency Medical Services
• Motor Vehicle Inspection
• Motor Vehicle Insurance
• Traffic Law Enforcement

With the addition of communication standards, the data may be rapidly interchanged by jurisdictions to improve the operational functions they are developed to serve. Through this exchange, driver and registration information will be available to assure the issuance of accurate licenses, registration, and titles. D20 is designed to facilitate continued coordination among data system developers. It is not intended or anticipated that any single user will incorporate all of the elements listed in this dictionary into a single system. However, for both new systems and for system modification, developers are encouraged to use data elements in D20 whenever possible. D20 element definitions are used in:

• Electronic systems communicating Licensing, Titling, Registration and Motor Carrier information over AAMVAnet.
• Electronic systems outside AAMVA, such as the Model Impaired Driver Records Information System (MIDRIS).
• Other standards, such as the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) which utilize some of the D20 element definitions.

Terminology and codes used in the Dictionary come from many sources. Wherever possible, D20 uses standards approved by ANSI or issued as Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). For elements related to traffic crashes, many definitions are from the National Safety Council's Manual on Classification of Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents (ANSI D16), and many codes are based on, or inspired by, the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) and other systems operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Sources also include the Accident Record Data Dictionary for National Governors' Association (NGA) Motor Carrier Accident Data Elements. Several elements related to the roadway environment are based on elements from the Federal Highway Administration's Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). Finally, the AAMVA repository of electronic data interchange applications used by of the Motor Vehicle Agencies in the U.S. and Canada for driver licensing, vehicle registration and titling, and motor carrier registration business have become a major source of new definitions.