The objective of this paper is to summarise recent activities to advance the use of Road Safety Audits by state governments, specifically for use at the design stage of project development. In the United States, the application of Road Safety Audit (RSA) techniques are in their infancy when compared to current practices in Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries. This summary is intended to serve as a guide for other countries evaluating the implementation of an RSA program. The paper highlights the development and presentation of an initial two-day pilot workshop designed to advance U.S. State departments of transportation (DOTs) knowledge and use of RSA concepts. To encourage states to integrate RSA practices in their safety programs, the workshop focuses on design stage audits. The heart of the workshop is a practical "hands-on" case study exercise, which examines many facets of conducting an RSA. One issue discussed in-depth is the tort liability implications of an RSA. The experiences in developing and presenting this course and the lessons learned from the pilot presentation are discussed in terms of the implications for other countries in the process of advancing the use of RSAs. The FHWA co-author was primarily responsible for the scanning team's visit, having seen the value of RSAs on a previous scanning trip identifying safety management practices. The initial findings of this team assessment have identified issues central to adapting RSA concepts for use in the U.S. The authors have been involved in research efforts to examine and overcome these RSA implementation issues. These, as well as brief summaries of the pilot state DOTs findings, are discussed in the paper. The paper also highlights a review of the different stages where audits have been applied and the variations from the traditional RSA approaches that have been tried. The lessons learned from organising both pilot applications and training programs are stressed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract