Crash Modification Factors Needs Assessment Workshop

Publication No. FHWA-HRT-15-020 FHWA Contact: Roya Amjadi, HRDS-20, 202-493-3383, roya.amjadi@dot.gov PDF Version (694 KB) PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) hosted a Crash Modification Factor (CMF) Stakeholder Meeting to provide a forum for CMF stakeholders to communicate ongoing efforts and identify opportunities for future collaboration. CMF stakeholders represent two primary groups: the CMF user community (transportation agencies and practitioners) and the CMF research and development community (individuals and agencies who plan, fund, direct, and carry out CMF research). Bringing these stakeholders together provided an opportunity to share insights and resources to further advance the research and development of CMFs and related activities.

The meeting was arranged around five primary topic areas. The first was current CMF-related activities, which allowed time for each stakeholder to identify their roles, responsibilities, and current efforts with respect to the development and application of CMFs. The second topic of discussion was CMF research needs, which included a summary of the results of a CMF gap analysis. The third topic focused on resources (e.g., data) to support the development of CMFs. The fourth topic, advancing highway safety, focused on research methods, technologies, and innovation. The final discussion was a recap of the overarching themes and focused on future opportunities to advance the state of the practice. The remainder of this section provides further details on each of the topic areas, summarizing current CMF development efforts and highlighting key opportunities for the future.

FHWA, the Transportation Research Board (TRB), and State transportation departments are the primary sponsors of research to develop CMFs. CMFs are developed through individual research projects, such as those under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), which is a division of TRB. CMFs are also developed under a large FHWA effort, the Development of Crash Modification Factors (DCMF) Program. Most individual projects are subject-specific; CMFs are developed for a particular strategy or set of strategies. The objective of the DCMF Program is to develop numerous CMFs for diverse strategies. There is an opportunity for better coordination among these groups to avoid duplication of efforts.

Several other groups conduct crash-based research that may or may not result in the development of CMFs. These groups include the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA-FTS), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). For example, the IIHS has conducted several studies to estimate the safety effectiveness (i.e., CMFs) of strategies such as speed enforcement cameras, roundabouts, centerline rumble strips, and red-light-running cameras. The AAA-FTS developed the U.S. Road Assessment Program (usRAP), which includes “risk factors” to estimate the safety performance of a roadway based on the design and operational characteristics of that specific road. CMFs serve a similar function as the risk factors in usRAP. There may be future opportunities to coordinate efforts with these groups to develop CMFs. There may also be opportunities to coordinate with or use the results of other safety or operational effectiveness studies to develop specific CMFs. The ultimate goal is for these groups to develop CMFs as part of their research to expand the use of their results.

Outreach to safety stakeholders, particularly decisionmakers for planning and funding research, was identified as a critical component to advancing the development, use, and understanding of the importance of CMFs. FHWA, TRB, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF), and others currently play an active role in stakeholder outreach through various initiatives such as conferences, journals, webinars, and workshops. For example, ITE leadership has identified CMF needs through informal conversations with their members. There is an opportunity to expand and formalize ITE’s efforts, including coordination with FHWA and TRB. There is also a need to coordinate the prioritization of CMF needs, identification of training needs, identification of proper training mechanisms, and dissemination of results. RSF could be engaged to coordinate with decisionmakers on the need for and importance of CMFs.

The development and advancement of CMFs is dependent on the availability of quality data. Several databases are currently used to develop CMFs, including the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS), the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), and State and local roadway and crash databases. Other existing data sets may serve as resources, including the FMCSA analysis and information (A&I) online database and IIHS insurance data. There are also new and forthcoming databases that hold promise for developing CMFs, such as the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) roadway information database and naturalistic driving data. In addition to current databases, there is a need for databases to support CMF development, including a mechanism to track new strategies and innovations so that CMFs can be developed in a timely manner.

In summary, there are many opportunities to advance the development, use, and understanding of CMFs by fostering partnerships with national organizations, other Federal agencies, and State and local partners. These partners provide an opportunity to better understand CMF needs, a source of data and sponsorship for research, and a mechanism for outreach to the vast CMF community.