National Road Safety Plans in both New Zealand and Australia have identified road and traffic engineering measures as contributing to the national effort to reduce the road toll. The paper describes a contribution to that national effort which has become known as Road Safety Audit. Road Safety Audit has been implemented in Britain, New Zealand and some states of Australia. There is interest in USA and Europe. Road Safety Audit is a process of crash prevention, ensuring that road projects are built as safely as practical. It aims to reduce the whole of life costs of projects and also results in a greater awareness of safe design practices. For safety audit to be implemented successfully, management commitment is essential. It is important that a procedure be agreed by all parties and documented. Safety audit is more than a test of compliance with standards. An overall view of safety is taken. The process must be used professionally otherwise designers will see it only as a criticism of their designs. The independence and experience of the auditors are key factors. (Author/publisher)
Abstract