Last Updated on April 10, 2023 by Ossian Muscad
Road safety audit is a comprehensive evaluation of the safety performance of a road or highway system. It is designed to identify potential hazards and suggest corrective action that can help reduce the number and severity of accidents on roads, highways, and intersections. Train professionals with experience assessing roadway design for safety issues typically conduct road safety audits.
This article will provide an overview of what constitutes a road safety audit, why it’s important to conduct one, and how to get started with your audit checklist.
What is a Road Safety Audit?
A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is a systematic process for checking the road safety implications of highway improvements and new road schemes. The primary objective of an RSA is to identify potential safety issues and opportunities for improvement to reduce the risk of crashes and minimize the severity of any crashes that may occur on a given roadway.
RSAs are conducted by independent, multidisciplinary teams who review plans, inspect existing roads, and assess potential safety issues from the perspective of all road users. In addition, they evaluate how well a project meets current design standards and recommend changes to improve safety. RSAs can be conducted at any stage in the development process—from initial planning to post-construction—and are often used with traditional safety review procedures.
By utilizing RSAs, transportation agencies can ensure that their projects meet the highest possible standards for road safety and provide safe travel experiences for all users.
Road Safety Audit Process
A road safety audit formally examines an existing or proposed road or intersection, which aims to identify potential safety issues and recommend ways to reduce the risk of accidents. The audit process typically involves the following steps:
- Scoping: The first step in a road safety audit is to define the scope of the audit, including the location, purpose, and intended users of the audit report.
- Data Collection: The audit team collects data on the audited location, including traffic flow, accident history, road geometry, and environmental factors.
- Risk Assessment: The audit team analyzes the collected data to identify potential safety issues and assess the risk associated with each case.
- Identify Countermeasures: Based on the risk assessment, the audit team recommends potential countermeasures to address the identified safety issues. Countermeasures can include engineering, education, and enforcement strategies.
- Prioritization: The audit team prioritizes the recommended countermeasures based on the severity of the safety issue, cost, and other factors.
- Reporting: The audit team prepares a report summarizing their findings, recommendations, and priorities and presents it to stakeholders for review and implementation.
- Monitoring: After the implementation of the recommended countermeasures, the audit team may conduct follow-up monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures and identify any further improvements that may be needed.
- Completing the Decision Tracking Form: Once the audit report is submitted to the client, the design team will review each issue and recommendation in a Decision Tracking Form. After consulting with the design team, the project manager will then examine the safety issue and either approve or deny it.
- Audit Closure: If any concerns are mentioned on the Decision Tracking Form that requires additional attention, the client should create an exception report. The design team and stakeholders will then review this report.
Main Issues About Road Safety
The issue of road safety is crucial and has a global impact. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights various concerns that influence road safety. These include the following:
Non-Use of Motorcycle Helmets, Seatbelts, and Child Restraints
The non-use of motorcycle helmets, seatbelts, and child restraints is one of the main causes of road traffic injuries. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 70% while wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of death in a crash by up to 50%.
Distraction
Distraction from activities such as using mobile phones while driving can lead to impaired driving and increase the risk of accidents. Therefore, drivers need to stay focused on the road at all times.
Speeding
Speeding is another major contributor to road traffic injuries. Driving at excessive speeds increases the risk of collisions and reduces reaction time in case of an emergency. Therefore, drivers must obey speed limits and drive safely in traffic conditions.
What is a Road Safety Audit Checklist?
A Road Safety Audit Checklist is a tool used to perform road safety audits on existing or future roads. It’s designed to help identify potential hazards and risks associated with the road and provide recommendations for improvement.
The checklist typically includes elements that cover various topics, including traffic patterns, road geometry, signage and marking, lighting, crash history and trends, roadside obstacles or hazards, sight distance, and more.
Why is a Road Safety Audit Checklist Important?
A Road Safety Audit Checklist ensures that roads are designed and built with safety in mind. It helps identify potential hazards and risks associated with the road, provides recommendations for improvement, and allows for implementing cost-effective solutions. In addition, it helps ensure compliance with applicable standards, regulations, and laws.
What Items To Include in a Road Safety Audit Checklist?
A Road Safety Audit Checklist typically includes elements that cover a range of topics, including traffic patterns, road geometry, signage and marking, lighting, crash history and trends, roadside obstacles or hazards, sight distance, and other factors. With that said, here are essential items to include in a road safety audit checklist:
- Road Geometry: The checklist may include items related to road geometry, such as lane width, turning radii, and sight distances.
- Road Markings and Signage: The checklist may include road markings and signage items, such as the adequacy and visibility of markings and signs.
- Traffic Control Devices: The checklist may include items related to traffic control devices, such as traffic lights, speed humps, and roundabouts.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities: The checklist may include items related to pedestrian and bicycle facilities, such as crosswalks, sidewalks, and bike lanes.
- Roadside Hazards: The checklist may include items related to roadside hazards, such as obstacles, drainage, and vegetation.
- Lighting: The checklist may include items related to lighting, such as the adequacy and placement of lighting.
- Driver Behavior: The checklist may include items related to driver behavior, such as speed limits, speed humps, and other measures to control driver behavior.
- Environmental Factors: The checklist may include items related to environmental factors, such as weather, visibility, and other factors that may impact road safety.
A road safety audit checklist ensures that inspectors can consider all relevant factors during the audit process and identify and address potential safety issues. They can also use it to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented countermeasures.
Create a Road Safety Audit Checklist Using a Low-code Platform
If you need to create a Road Safety Audit Checklist for your organization, low-code platforms can help. Low-code platforms are designed to make it easy to build applications and processes quickly without coding or IT resources. With a low-code platform, you can create custom road safety audit checklists tailored to your organization and needs, allowing you to quickly and easily create the perfect checklist for your team.
DATAMYTE is a quality management platform with low-code capabilities. The DataMyte Digital Clipboard, in particular, is a low-code workflow automation software that features a checklist and smart form builder. This tool lets you create a comprehensive road safety audit checklist that you can use and share with your team.
To create a checklist or form template using DATAMYTE, follow these steps:
- Log in to the DATAMYTE software and navigate to the ‘Checklist’ module.
- Click “Create Checklist.”
- Add a title to your checklist; select the category where it belongs.
- Start adding items to the checklist by clicking “Add Item.”
- Define the description of each item, what type of answer it requires, and other relevant specifications (e.g., reference documents, acceptance criteria, limits).
- Assign a team member who will be responsible for conducting the inspection using the checklist.
- Add signature fields for approvals (e.g., supervisors, quality assurance personnel).
- Save the checklist—you can now access it anywhere, and it will be available on any device.
DATAMYTE also lets you conduct layered process audits, a high-frequency evaluation of critical process steps, focusing on areas with the highest failure risk or non-compliance. Conducting LPA with DATAMYTE lets you effectively identify and correct potential defects before they become major quality issues.
With DATAMYTE, you have an all-in-one solution for creating and implementing road safety audit checklists. Book a demo now to learn how DATAMYTE can help you improve your road safety audit process. Get started today and ensure your organization’s roads’ safe and effective operation.
Conclusion
The road is an ever-changing environment, and you must have a solid road safety audit checklist in place to ensure the safety of all users. A road safety audit checklist ensures that inspectors can consider all relevant factors during the audit process and that they can identify and address potential safety issues. Low-code platforms like DATAMYTE can help you quickly and easily create a custom road safety audit checklist tailored to your organization’s needs. Get started today!
