CHAPEL HILL, NC, Jan. 15 - Transportation professionals now have a new resource to help them identify, implement, and evaluate cost-effective roadway safety improvements. The Federal Highway Administration has established the Crash Modification Factors (CMF) Clearinghouse, a central, Web-based repository of Crash Modification Factors, or CMFs.

A CMF is an estimate of the change in crashes expected after implementation of a countermeasure. CMFs are often used by transportation professionals in their decision-making process to determine which countermeasures to implement. Previously, CMFs were located through various national and state sources The CMF Clearinghouse Web site - www.CMFClearinghouse.org - gives transportation professionals' access to more than 1800 CMFs for over 400 countermeasures in one central location.

Using the CMF Clearinghouse. The CMF Clearinghouse is a comprehensive listing of all available CMFs, allowing users to use both a "quick search" and an "advanced search" to locate CMFs. Users can search by a variety of parameters, including but not limited to keyword, countermeasure, crash type, crash severity, and roadway type.

The CMF Clearinghouse will be updated on a regular basis to add recently developed and documented CMFs. New CMFs will be identified via a periodic review of published literature.

Sharing CMF Knowledge. Another purpose of the CMF Clearinghouse is to educate transportation professionals about the application of CMFs. The Web site includes a general overview of CMFs and a glossary of terms related to CMFs. Users can also read a listing of frequently asked questions that address issues such as the difference between CMFs and CRFs, and how to apply multiple CMFs. The Web site also includes a comprehensive resources section that includes links to CMF-related information on trainings, resources and publications.

The CMF Clearinghouse also encourages transportation professionals to submit their own CMF studies for inclusion into the clearinghouse. CMF studies submitted to the database will undergo a review process to determine whether or not they meet the minimum requirements for inclusion. The CMF Clearinghouse will be updated regularly with new research and user submissions.

FHWA Contact

Karen Yunk

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609-637-4207