This study develops a Road Safety Impact Assessment (RIA) tool. RIAs could be made on a more strategic level, and on an individual project or scheme level. On a strategic level, the study suggests to assess safety consequences of changes of traffic over a road network due to infrastructural projects by using a scenario technique. On a project level, the study suggests to use an audit technique in order: (1) to make as explicit as possible the safety consequences of certain choices in the detailed planning and the design process; and (2) to optimize a road design. The primary objective of using an audit technique is to ensure that road safety is optimally incorporated during the design and realisation phase of infrastructure projects. It is recommended that the results of the study are used as a first draft for a RIA. It is also recommended to gain experiences with the tool for European Union (EU) projects on a voluntary basis, before making a RIA compulsory. It might be of interest to integrate the RIA procedure in the existing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures.
Abstract