Road Safety Audits Ghazwan al-Haji PhD student ”On whats goes wrong in road design and how to put it right safely”

2 What is Road Safety Audits? A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is a systematic procedure, which brings traffic safety knowledge into the road planning and design process with the purpose of preventing traffic accidents, which carried out by an independent team of trained specialists to address the safe operation of a roadway and to ensure a high level of safety for all road users. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

3 Road Safety Audits Review Road Safety Audit Review (RSAR) is conducted during the design process or existing roads by an independent safety team. The Design Safety Review is more informal and flexible in nature, and provides more opportunities for communication and interaction between the design team and the safety team. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

4 History and RSA development Developed by road safety engineers (late 1970’s/early 1980’s) in UK in response to serious and fatal accidents on new road schemes. Inititated by railway industry development. In 1990, UK Safety Audit guidelines introduced In 1996, UK Safety Audit guidelines were revised. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

5 Road Safety Strategy Safer People Safer roads Safer vehicles Strategic coordination, Transport and land use planning and management. Road Safety Audit TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

6 Shared Factors in Road Accidents Road Safety Audit TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

7 Objectives of RSA & RSAR To consider the safety of all types of road users (balance) under all types of conditions, such as weather and time of day; and under all level of accident risk. To consider financial and design problems. To design out safety problems from the beginning and to reduce post-construction remedial work. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

8 RSA & accident investigations... Accident prevention by Audit is better than reduction by accident investigations Invistigate the factors which contributed to the accidents. Improve design guides. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

9 Road Safety Audit Requirements To all new roads and Highways. All projects completed for roads valued above 10? million SEK. Hazard locations previously identified as being the worst 10% for accidents injuries. Smaller projects are only audited at later stages. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

10 RSA Team Requirements A road construction safety audit team should has sufficient experience and expertise in the areas of road safety engineering, road construction works, crash investigation and prevention, traffic management, and traffic engineering. It might also include police officers. The size of team depend on size and character of the scheme. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

11 How to carry out a Safety Audit Team at least two people. Carried out systematically. Objective assessment. Based on sound safety principles. From the road users’ point of view. Formal reports prepared – stating safety problem and recommended action Formal responses prepared TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

12 Costs and Benefits of RSA (RSAR) The cost of conducting safety audits and reviews is approximately 5 to 10 percent of the design cost of a project (less than 0.5 percent of total cost of the project). Researches indicates that Road Safety Audits have resulted in a 2 to 6 percent reduction in injury collisions. Also the expenses of rebuilding ” black spots ” can be avoided. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

13 RSA and Risk elements safety audits and reviews are developed to minimize risks for the road users. Risk is a function of probability, consequence and exposure. Source: TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

14 RSA & RSAR Process The road safety component is usually missing in the design process. The typical design process should include RSA and RSAR. Source: G. al-Haji, PhD student

15 Audits Stages Different issues can be addressed at each stage. Stage 4 is essential as some aspects may be difficult from two-dimensional plan. Some authorities reduce number of stages depending on the scheme size, type and cost. There can be stage 5 on the existing roads. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

16 How to conduct a Road Safety Audit An audit is independent, and safety team is not part of the design team. It consists of individuals who have demonstrated road safety engineering expertise. The role of design team is to receive the specialists ’ inputs (environmental, geotechnical, socio-economical, RSA, etc) and meeting as possible (balance) the core project objectives. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

17 Audit Roles & Responsibilities Source: G. al-Haji, PhD student

18 Selected Items of Checklist General items 1. Horizontal and Vertical Alignment 2. Sight and Stopping Distances 3. Traffic lane Safety and Visibility 4. Street Lighting, Roadworks Signs Traffic Signs and Pavement Markings 1. Signs, Location/Placement 2. Day /Night, Winter/Summer Requirements 3. Delineation and Reflective Markers 4. Pavement Marking TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

19 Selected Items of Checklist Traffic Signals 1. Temporary Traffic Signals 2. Location, Visibility 3. Signals Display 4. Traffic Movements Pedestrians and Cyclists 1. Paths 2. Elderly and Disabled 3. Cyclists 4. Safe Grates, Warning TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

20 Selected Items of Checklist Road Pavement 1. Pavement Defects 2. Skid Resistance, painting 3. Loose Screenings 4. Contrast (Kerb and pavement) Traffic Speed Management 1. Speed Restriction Signs 2. Speed Management 3. Signs Requirements TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

21 What makes a good Safety Audit Report Keeps to road safety issues Well-described safety problems Practical recommendations Indication of priorities TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

22 What makes a poor Safety Audit Report Too much emphasis on design features rather than real safety issues Unclear recommendations No indication of priorities Not basad on published safety princliples. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

23 Monitoring It is important to monitor its performance in terms of the number and severity of road accidents and casualties. To monitor schemes one year and three year after completion of schemes. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student

24 Conclusion! RSA is one key role in preventing accidents. The primary role of the auditor is to identify potential safety problems and report these to design engineer who will make the decision on whether to act on the audits findings. The road safety auditor will not comment on the principles of the project or re-design the scheme. Simply, the Auditor does not provide solutions. TGTN95/ Road Safety Audit- Case Study G. al-Haji, PhD student