Crash data are essential for the development and introduction of new of active safety systems. At first, the target population of a new system is evaluated to understand the situations in which the system shall become active. The respective crashes are then analyzed and requirements towards the system development are derived. Finally, an effectiveness evaluation validates the potential benefit of the system in real-world crashes.

Multiple in-depth databases are available for different regions of the world. They are generally based on different crash collection and data coding methods. Thus, comparable data analysis is hard to achieve. This is however necessary for a systematic worldwide approach towards reaching “Vision Zero”.

Crash scenarios describe the scene of the crash including the participants and their respective actions and intentions. They are the basis for developing sensor-based active safety systems.

The paper discusses possibilities of analyzing in-depth crash data and deriving harmonized crash scenarios. Different databases and their limitations are considered, and a scenario catalogue is proposed.

This catalogue will enable various stakeholders to compare and analyze crash scenarios of different regions and countries. The catalogue serves as a new and efficient tool to enhance the policy making for vehicles and the development of safety technology to drive “Vision Zero” worldwide.