Crash injury research and engineering network (CIREN): An update

Along with its partners, the National High-way Traffic Safety Administratio n (NHTSA) has sponsored the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network ( CIREN) since 1996. CIREN is a collaborative effort to conduct research on c rashes and injuries at 9 Level 1 trauma centers around the country. This ar ticle describes the highway safety work under way at the centers and descri be new access to data available as of April 2001. Case data developed at th e centers are now available online to researchers around the world. The art icle reviews how the data are collected and what makes CIREN unique. The ar ticle also contains a discussion on how the CIREN network can be used to ex pand and enhance information found in other data sets. The 9 CIREN centers are listed in the Table.