A supplier has been appointed to develop the software for a system which should provide accurate data on how many road crashes involve at-work drivers.

As reported by Fleet News, the new handheld computer called Crash will allow police to link details entered at the scene directly to the Police National Computer.

This will enable officers to make digital ‘drawings’ of collision scenes and automatically send information to the Department for Transport (DfT).

Software specialist IPL was selected by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the DfT to take the project forward, which will be introduced to three police forces in early 2010 before being rolled out across England and Wales.

Road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world, but we are determined to do everything we can to continue making our roads even safer.

“Detailed, accurate and up-to-date information is vital if we are to tackle the causes of crashes on our roads so I am delighted that this important project is getting underway.”

Currently, police record a road traffic accident on a lengthy form that is passed on to the DfT, which uses the data to improve road safety.

However, existing methods, which have been labelled as “flawed” by the House of Commons Transport Committee, take too long to reach the DfT and are not as accurate as they could be, according to the NPIA.