Road safety audits - A summary of current practice

In October, 1996, the Federal Highway Administration conducted a scanning tour of road safety audit practices in Australia and New Zealand. The findings of this mission and the application of road safety audits at various stages of project development are discussed in this paper. The specific details of how the audits are performed by different agencies are outlined. Other topics addressed include: the role of road safety audits as part of an overall road safety strategy, liability issues, and benefits and costs. Factors contributing to the successful application of road safety audits are identified. Significant issues related to the transferability of safety audit techniques to the United States are listed.