Search Help

My search produced too many results. How can I narrow my search results?

By default the "Find CMF" search query tries to locate CMFs which have exact matches for all of the words/parameters entered in your search query. If you are retrieving too many CMFs, focus your search by adding key words and additional parameters specific to your crash problem. By narrowing your search, you should retrieve fewer and more relevant CMFs. For example, if you know that you are concerned with problems related to angle crashes, try narrowing by crash type and selecting "Angle".

My search resulted in no CMFs. How can I find what I'm looking for?

Your search parameters may be too restrictive, and you may need to expand your search by removing parameters or simply using one search parameter. For example, you may want to only search using the countermeasure category field. This will give you a more comprehensive listing of CMFs in that category. You might also want to check to make sure that you have not left any search parameters from previous searches.

How can I find more information on the search fields?

Many of the fields used in the basic and advanced search pages are defined in the clearinghouse's glossary of terms. You can also click on the [?] next to each of the search fields on the Find CMFs page to get more information on the search fields.

How can I best use the keyword search to find relevant CMFs?

Keyword searching allows you to enter any word or string of words. You can either choose to search using "Match any of these words" or "Match the exact phrase." By using "Match any of these words," your search will be more inclusive since the database will produce CMF results that contain any of your search terms. Using "Match the exact phrase" is a more restrictive approach in that it will only give you results that contain all of the search terms.

The database will search for all occurrences of the word(s) in keywords, citations and abstracts. Keyword searching can be a good way to start your CMF search, but you may get results that aren't completely related to your CMF need, and you many want to further narrow your search using the additional search parameters.

 

The information contained in the Crash Modification Factors (CMF) Clearinghouse is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in the CMF Clearinghouse. The information contained in the CMF Clearinghouse does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation, nor is it a substitute for sound engineering judgment.