The Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) is intended to improve rail and transit safety by studying near-miss incidents and unsafe situations, identifying their root causes, and developing preventative measures or corrective actions. It is hoped that this reporting program will help foster a safety culture without the threat of administrative discipline.

The program is operated by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) under agreements with Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway, New Jersey Transit, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to allow their employees to voluntarily report close call events without threat of disciplinary action. BTS protects data and information collected for statistical purposes under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, which established uniform confidentiality protections over the disclosure and use. Preliminary results show a significant reduction in minor derailments in yard operations.