CMF Clearinghouse

CRASH MODIFICATION FACTORS CLEARINGHOUSE

CMF Clearinghouse Update: Summer 2022


In this issue:

  • Cite the Site! Always Share the CMF ID When Referencing a Specific CMF
  • Database Update: Improved Data Standards
  • Did you miss the CMF Clearinghouse Annual Webinar?
  • Resource: State Selected CMF Lists
  • Highway Safety Manual Second Edition (HSM2) Implementation Pooled Fund Study
  • Featured CMFs
  • Submit a Study

The Summer 2022 edition of CMF Update is the 25th edition of the CMF Clearinghouse e-newsletter. To subscribe, please visit www.cmfclearinghouse.org/newsletter_signup.cfm. To view archived issues, please visit www.cmfclearinghouse.org/newsletter.cfm.

If you have any CMF related questions or technical assistance requests, please contact Matthew Hinshaw (matthew.hinshaw@dot.gov) or Taha Saleem (saleem@hsrc.unc.edu).

 

Cite the Site! Always Share the CMF ID When Referencing a Specific CMF

Did you know that every CMF in the FHWA CMF Clearinghouse has a unique identification number (ID)? The CMF ID allows you to easily document the CMF in a report, study, or presentation for future reference. The CMF ID also allows others to quickly and easily find the CMF in the CMF Clearinghouse to determine if it is applicable to a particular scenario.

Where Do I Find the CMF ID?

The CMF ID is listed at the top of the CMF Details web page. This page provides all the details about a particular CMF. Each CMF Details page has a unique URL, or web address. For example, the URL for CMF ID 3127 is http://www.cmfclearinghouse.org/detail.cfm?acid=3127. The CMF ID is noticeable as the final characters at the end of that URL.

How Do I Use the CMF ID to Find a Particular CMF?

There are two ways to locate specific CMFs using the CMF ID number:

  1. Single CMF ID search: On the CMF home page, enter the CMF ID number in the search box. Select "Single CMF ID" from the drop-down menu and click the Search button.
  2. Direct navigation: On any CMF Details page, replace the ID number at the end of the URL with your desired CMF ID number.

 

Database Update: Improved Data Standards

The CMF Clearinghouse is a dynamic product that is constantly updated with new information and is flexible to respond to user needs. To keep up with the CMF Clearinghouse user needs, the CMF Clearinghouse team recently updated the database to add fields or modify data in existing fields for certain data elements to present a uniform data formatting structure. The following data elements have been modified to reflect improved data standards and consistency in the way they are recorded:

  • Speed Limit
    • Speed Limit data is now reported in three fields: minimum speed limit (integer value), maximum speed limit (integer value), and speed limit unit (mph or km/h).
  • Number of Lanes
    • Number of Lanes data is now reported in four fields: minimum number of lanes (integer value), maximum number of lanes (integer value), number of lanes direction (one direction or both directions), street type (one-way or two-way).
  • Crash Time of Day (TOD), Crash Type, and Crash Weather Condition
    • Inputs for daytime, nighttime, wet weather, and dry weather crashes were removed from the Crash Type field and are now captured under the Crash TOD and Crash Weather Condition fields.
    • An additional input for dusk/dawn was added to the Crash TOD field and will only be used for future CMF entries.
  • State, Municipality, and Country
    • Improvements were made to uniformly record the State/Province (USA and Canada only), Municipality, and Country data.

 

Did you miss the CMF Clearinghouse Annual Webinar?

Click HERE to watch the recorded webinar on Looking Behind the Curtain: Spotlight on CMFs, DDSA and Decision-Making Processes in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Beyond, download the presentations or review the webinar questions and answers.

During the December 2021 webinar, Taha Saleem, with the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center and manager of the CMF Clearinghouse, discussed the recently updated CMF Clearinghouse rating system and the resources available for your assistance. Kevin Scopoline, Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), presented on WisDOTs DDSA efforts (and how they use CMFs from the CMF Clearinghouse in this process). Brian Murphy, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and Joy Davis, North Carolina State University Institute for Transportation Research and Education, discussed NCDOTs use of Safety Benefit Factors in the Strategic Transportation Investments process. Raghavan Srinivasan, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, provided an overview of the various current and recently completed CMF related NCHRP projects.

In addition, do you ever feel like there's so much information on the Clearinghouse that you have trouble finding exactly what you need? Karen Scurry presented an overview of CMFs and the CMF Clearinghouse and demonstrated how to make use of the features of the CMF Clearinghouse to sort through hundreds of countermeasures and CMFs to find the most appropriate CMF for your situation.

 

Resource: State Selected CMF Lists

Did you know that the CMF Clearinghouse website provides links to State Selected CMFs? Generally, the State DOTs compile these lists to ensure consistency in the selection of a CMF used for certain countermeasures across their State.

If your State is considering developing a State Selected CMF List, this FLYER provides a summary of issues to consider in the development process. The CMF Clearinghouse team is also available to provide technical assistance in this regard.

If your State has developed or updated a State Selected CMF list and you do not see your state mentioned in the lists on the CMF Clearinghouse, please contact the CMF Clearinghouse team to have it added.

Users are encouraged to check the lists on the CMF Clearinghouse to see if their State has developed a State Selected CMF List before searching the CMF Clearinghouse.

 

Highway Safety Manual Second Edition (HSM2) Implementation Pooled Fund Study

In 2010, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) published the Highway Safety Manual 1st Edition (HSM). At that time, the AASHTO Committee on Safety established a goal in its Strategic Plan to institutionalize the HSM and its associated analytical tools to help transportation agencies make data-driven decisions, advance the science of safety, and to ultimately reduce fatalities and serious injuries. To support this goal, the FHWA agreed to organize and manage the TPF-5(255) Highway Safety Manual Implementation Pooled-Fund Study, in which 22 States currently participate. With the anticipated publication of the AASHTO HSM Second Edition (estimated 2025), there is strong interest from States to establish a new pooled fund to accelerate implementation of HSM2.

This study will conduct research and develop products to enable States to accelerate their implementation of HSM2. A Technical Working Group consisting of one representative from each participating agency will help identify and prioritize the specific tasks and products. The requested commitment is $80,000 per State over five years ($16,000 per year)

If your state has any questions regarding participation in this pooled fund study, please contact Jerry Roche at jerry.roche@dot.gov.

 

Featured CMFs 

Crash Modification Factor (CMF) Value: 0.679 (for all crashes)

Star Quality Rating: 4 Stars

 

Crash Modification Factor (CMF) Value: 1.011 (for all crashes)

Star Quality Rating: 3 Stars

 

Crash Modification Factor (CMF) Value: 0.745 (for all intersection crashes)

Star Quality Rating: 4 Stars

 

Submit a Study 

The CMF Clearinghouse welcomes CMF study submissions to be included in its searchable database. If you wish to submit your CMF study, please email Karen Scurry at karen.scurry@dot.gov. Be sure to search the Clearinghouse before submitting a new CMF as we may already have it listed. You may either send a link to a resource already existing on the web (preferred) or include it as an attachment in the email. Submissions might include published research studies that are not presented in the Clearinghouse, or state-specific CMFs that were developed as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Please note that the Clearinghouse only includes CMFs that are derived and presented in the studies by the authors.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration 
and maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.

For more information, contact Matthew Hinshaw, FHWA Office of Safety, 360-753-9481.