In their basic form Safety Audits are simply the application of common sense and experience at three (or more) review points during the design and construction life of a scheme. It is the ability of any scheme to be used in a safe manner by all classes of road user that is being checked and the safety principles must apply equally to those on foot or on two wheels, as to the drivers of motor vehicles. It is movement safety which is being audited, not the specific design criteria of the structures or other components of a scheme. These are subject to far more complex technical procedures - movement (or traffic) safety is almost more a question of intuition than academic prowess. The experience of those who have been applying Safety Audit techniques for some years is that as it becomes accepted into an organisation's culture a form of continuing safety monitoring develops and the programmed reviews become merely formal reference points as a scheme develops from idea to implementation.
Abstract