Road Safety Audits

What is a road safety audit?

A road safety audit is a formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent audit team.

Road safety audits can be used in any phase of project development from planning and preliminary engineering, design and construction. RSAs can also be used on any sized project from minor intersection and roadway retrofits to mega-projects.

The following executive summary provides additional background information on RSAs*.

*The executive summary and other supporting slides found throughout this site refer to road safety audit reviews (RSARs), which are road safety audits conducted on existing roadways. The current definition of road safety audits includes both existing and future roadways.

This is a photo of an intersection in Grand Rapids, Michigan, before a road safety audit was conducted.

This is the same intersection after a road safety audit was conducted.

Before

This is a photo of an intersection in Grand Rapids, Michigan, before a road safety audit was conducted. The 2 traffic signal heads are hung on a diagonal span of wire and only one head is over the travel lanes. There are two lanes approaching the intersection separated by a dashed white pavement marking.

After

This is the same intersection after a road safety audit was conducted. The traffic signals are now hung on a box span of wire and they are now able to be hung directly over the travel lanes. Now there are three traffic signal heads, two for the through lane and one for the left turn lane. Pavement markings now show a separate left-turn lane at the intersection.

Photos courtesy of AAA Michigan.

Most State DOTs have established traditional safety review processes through their high hazard identification and correction programs. However, a road safety audit and a traditional safety review are different processes. It is important to understand the difference between the road safety reviews that are commonly performed and newer road safety audits. The main differences between the two are shown below:

Road Safety Reviews

RSAs

A safety review uses a small (1-2 person) team with design expertise.
Safety review team members are usually involved in the design.
Field reviews are usually not part of safety reviews.
Safety reviews concentrate on evaluating designs based on compliance with standards.
Safety reviews do not normally consider human factors issues. This includes driver error, visibility issues, etc.
Safety reviews focus on the needs of roadway users.
The safety review is reactive. Hazardous locations are identified through analysis of crash statistics or observations and corrective actions are taken.

A safety audit uses a larger (3-5 person) interdisciplinary team.
Safety audit team members are usually independent of the project.
The field review is a necessary component of the safety audit.
Safety audits use checklists and field reviews to examine all design features.
Safety audits are comprehensive and attempt to consider all factors that may contribute to a crash.
Safety audits consider the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, large trucks as well as automobile drivers.
Safety audits are proactive. They look at locations prior to the development of crash patterns to correct hazards before they happen.

This Road Safety Audits web site was developed in the interest of information exchange. The site provides an easy, centralized way to access a variety of resources related to safety audits including: an overview of road safety audits and road safety audit reviews; the benefits of conducting road safety audits and incorporating them into safety programs; the legal considerations and implications of road safety audits; how to conduct road safety audits; and links to various road safety audit resources.

The site was developed by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

RSA Brochure

Viewpoints

"We view the RSAs as a proactive low-cost approach to improve safety. The RSAs helped our engineering team develop a number of solutions incorporating measures that were not originally included in the projects. The very first audit conducted saved SCDOT thousands of dollars by correcting a design problem.”

Terecia Wilson
Director of Safety
South Carolina Department of Transportation

"The road safety audit process looks at the roadway from a purely technical safety viewpoint without outside influences. It is a valuable process that gives an unbiased view of safety issues with support from safety experts. These recommendations are helpful when working with others, such as political leaders."

Ricky May
District Engineer
Mississippi DOT

"Iowa DOT has implemented road safety audits on proposed resurfacing projects. Previously, very few safety improvements were incorporated into our resurfacing projects. We now see that our staff consistently look for and implement numerous low-cost safety improvements on Iowa's roads."

Thomas M. Welch, P.E.
State Transportation Safety Engineer
Iowa DOT

“I believe that road safety audits are an excellent tool for evaluating and improving the safety of our highway system. In the projects we've done, we’ve seen the most benefit in doing an audit during conceptual and preliminary design, when any improvements can be incorporated into our project estimates and final design.”

Beth Wright
District Engineer
Missouri DOT

Road Safety Audits 1099 14th Street


Road Safety Audits 1099 14th Street, N.W., Suite 300 West Washington, DC 20005-3438 ITE Resource Center	FHWA Office of Safety Becky Crowe FHWA RSA Program Manager 400 North 8th Street, Suite 750 Richmond, Virginia 23219 rebecca.crowe@fhwa.dot.gov