"Looking for a new real world data set to play with?

How about another chance to win a free all-access membership to Maven?

Sound interesting? Read on...

We just added another rich dataset to the the Data Playground.

This time we're looking at real NYC traffic accident data from earlier this year.

There is a ton you can do with this data set. Whether you're an Excel jockey, SQL guru, or want to visualize in Tableau or Power BI, there are plenty of stories you'll be able to tell!

To go along with the data set release, we're giving away another free all-access membership to the Maven platform.

We'll share more details about the Drive Safe Challenge giveaway below, but first, let's talk about this data...

Data set basics

• We're looking at traffic accident data from NYC from January to August 2020

• Each record represents an individual collision

• You can see information on location of the accident, vehicle types, factors that contributed to the accident, and more!

Recommended analyses

Here are some thought starters to get you going...

1. Compare the % of total accidents by month. Do you notice any seasonal patterns?

2. Break down accident frequency by day of week and hour of day. Based on this data, when do accidents occur most frequently?

3. On which particular street were the most accidents reported? What does that represent as a % of all reported accidents?

4. What was the most common contributing factor for the accidents reported in this sample (based on Vehicle 1)? What about for fatal accidents specifically?

Don't limit yourself to the above. These are just examples to get you started.

Win a free all-access Maven subscription

As part of the Drive Safe Challenge, we'll be giving away a three month, all-access membership to MavenAnalytics.io, completely free of charge. The winner will get access to all of our Excel, Power BI, Tableau, and SQL courses (including the new Advanced Tableau course and the upcoming Excel Certification prep course), and direct support and coaching from our expert instructors.

No purchase is necessary to participate. Like last time, the challenge is open to current Maven subscribers and new students who have no relationship with Maven.

Anyone can enter.

This is one of those contests where you can improve your odds of winning by putting in some effort. Earn more entries by analyzing the data and sharing your insights.

Check out the official rules below...

Drive Safe Challenge - Official Terms

• Maven Analytics will give away 1 three month subscription for an Individual account. After three months, the subscription will expire.

• No purchase is necessary to enter.

• The challenge will close to new entries on Friday, October 30th, 2020, at 1:00pm Eastern Standard Time. All entries must be submitted prior.

• Contestants may earn a maximum of 31 entries (see How to Play below)

• Maven Analytics will randomly select 1 winning entry from all of the contestants' entries, and will announce the winner on Monday, November 2th, 2020 at 10:00am Eastern Standard Time. The official announcement will be posted on LinkedIn from the Maven Analytics LinkedIn account.

How to Play

• FIRST ENTRY: To earn your first entry, follow Maven Analytics on LinkedIn and share a LinkedIn post that contains both a direct @ mention to @Maven Analytics, and the hashtag #drivesafechallenge.
  Note: it's okay if you already follow Maven. You can still play.

• UP TO 20 BONUS ENTRIES FOR ANALZYING THE NYC TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DATA SET: Contestants who have completed the above requirements for their first entry can also earn 2 bonus entries for each insight related to the NYC Traffic Accidents data set they include in their LinkedIn post. Contestants may include up to 10 insights, for a total of 20 bonus entries total. Insights should be numbered (1., 2., 3., etc) and must be contained in a single post. So try to be concise.
  Note: anything you find in the data counts as an insight. Just be a storyteller.

• UP TO 10 ADDITIONAL BONUS ENTRIES FOR MENTIONING CONNECTIONS: Contestants who have completed the above requirements for their first entry can also earn 1 bonus entry for each person they mention in their LinkedIn post. Contestants may include up to 10 connection mentions, for a total of 10 additional bonus entries total. Connection mentions must be contained within the body of the post (comments dont count).

In the example post below, I get 1 entry for posting, 1 more entry for @ mentioning Cem, the winner of the previous challenge, and 8 total entries for including 4 insights (2 entries each). That's 10 total chances to win!

It's that easy. You can get 1 entry just by making a LinkedIn post, and you can get up to 31 entries total by analyzing the data and mentioning your friends in the post.

HERE'S A PRO TIP: try to include people who would be interested, with your mentions. They will appreciate it.

Don't want to participate in the Drive Safe Challenge? No problem. You can still analyze the data on your own. Per usual, the data sets you'll find at the Data Playground are available for anyone to learn with. Feel free to dig in anytime.

Check out the NYC Traffic Accident data set, and many more, at the Data Playground.

Happy analyzing! (and drive safe)

-John"