Developing an Online Tool for Delivering Research Results: An Update to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Crash Reduction Factor Database

Oftentimes, the challenge in disseminating research results to the practitioner is to package and present the results in a manner that is accessible and easy to use, while still providing the depth, guidance, and necessary information. In most cases, final research reports are made available in printed form and online, however, for some applications converting the report to a more interactive online report (tool) can produce results that are easier for the user to access. This is particularly true in this age of information overload and as practitioners find themselves needing to “do more with less.” This paper describes how research results from an update to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s crash reduction factor (CRF) database were incorporated into an online tool. The paper describes the methodology for cataloging a total of 94 crash countermeasures, reviewing the literature, and the development of the interactive online tool. The tool allows users to search based on key parameters for the countermeasure(s) most appropriate to a particular highway safety improvement project and to directly access pertinent citations from the literature review database. A case study is used to describe how a traffic safety professional might use this online tool in practice.