As new road infrastructure projects are planned, designed and built, there is a belief amongst all concerned that road safety will naturally benefit. After all, experienced designers using the latest standards have been used! This belief can lead to a situation where other issues (such as costs, timing, environmental issues to list but a few) receive explicit and detailed consideration, while road safety issues do not. Road safety is too important to leave as an implicit part of a new road project - it needs to be explicitly detailed throughout the planning, design and construction process. The one sure way to make this happen is to introduce the road safety audit process into the road design process. This paper aims to promote the advancement of road safety audit worldwide, and especially in motorising nations. In many of these nations, a road-building boom is creating urgency for the adoption of the road safety audit process in order to safeguard against the construction of new blackspots. The paper details the proven benefits and costs of audits, providing sound financial reasons why governments should introduce road safety audit into the design and construction of new road projects. The results of recent audits in two motorising nations are used to encourage governments worldwide to adopt this low cost/high benefit process. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.
Abstract