Road safety assessment methods: deciding which one to use

Road safety assessment methods: deciding which one to

use
Marta, D., Smart, W., Dr Saffron, D., Hamilton, B., Bhatnagar, Y.
NSW Centre for Road Safety, Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW
[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]

Introduction
To enhance road safety of the road network, just assess it from a road safety outlook
and apply any follow-on changes. Sounds simple, but in practice it is not that straight
forward. Firstly, there are a number of methods offered to assess road safety.
Choosing the most suitable one (or more than one) is the key to achieving the
desired outcome in road safety.

There is currently limited guidance offered on the different methods to assess road
safety and which method to use for a given project or situation. The NSW Centre for
Road Safety recognised that by providing practitioners with some direction on these
methods it could produce even more road safety benefits overall. Therefore, the
NSW Centre for Road Safety has created a simple approach for practitioners in
choosing the most appropriate method or methods for assessing road safety for their
project or situation. This paper explains this approach.

Types of assessment methods

There are a number of ways to assess the road safety of roads. The methods
include:
 road safety strategy
 network risk assessment
 major project safety assessment
 route safety review
 community focused road safety plan
 road safety evaluation
 road safety audit
 road crash investigation
 speed zone review
 road safety check
 safety benefits and impact calculation

A description of each method has been provided in Table 1. As this is a NSW

initiative, the method descriptions are based on NSW practices. They take in
methods that have been around for years, methods that are relatively new and
methods that are still being established.

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Road safety assessment methods: deciding which one to use

Table 1 Description of each road safety assessment method

Method Description
road safety It is a plan to guide efforts in reducing fatal and serious injury
strategy crashes for all road users across a defined road network. The
intention is to establish a desired future direction with actions and
targets designed to achieve specific results. It considers
professional and community input. It is managed by a qualified
team of professionals. A plan is produced.
Further information on road safety strategies can be found in
Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 2: Road Safety Strategy and
Evaluation.
network risk It is an assessment of road safety risks across a defined road
assessment network. The intention is to identify general areas of risk in road
safety for all road users. It considers network operations and road
characteristics and may consider crash history. It is managed by a
qualified professional. A report is produced.
Further information on network risk assessments can be found in
Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 7: Road Network Crash Risk
Assessment and Management.
major project It is a formal review of road safety along a proposed road project.
safety The intention is to identify road safety issues and areas of risk that
assessment could lead to road crashes or harm to people and establish
approaches or actions to enhance road safety benefits. It considers
road safety professional inputs. It is managed through a steering
committee.
Examples where the major project safety assessment was used
included duplication works along the Pacific Highway and Hume
Highway.

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Road safety assessment methods: deciding which one to use

Table 1 Description of each road safety assessment method

Method Description
route safety Multi-disciplinary safety reviews of key transport routes. These
review reviews involve extensive investigation and consultation including
in-depth analyses of the routes crash history, route inspections,
community workshops, reporting and program development. The
reviews also place emphasis on further improving the coordination
and integration of road improvement projects and ensuring the best
safety outcome through an integrated program. Route safety
review programs are holistic approaches aimed at reducing the
road toll by targeting works at identified road safety problems and
effective road safety engineering measures combined with
complementary behavioural and enforcement programs. These
are undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of road safety
engineering, behavioural and enforcement professionals from both
within and outside the road authority. A comprehensive report is
produced with a comprehensive program of works.
Further information on route safety reviews can be found in RTA’s
Newell Highway safety review and Central West Transport
(CENWEST) routes review.
community It is a formal process for reviewing the road safety across a defined
focused road community area for all road users. The intention is to identify road
safety plan safety issues and risks and to promote or establish community
based strategies and actions to enhance the road safety for that
community. It considers all current and proposed strategies, plans
and works within the community (for example, pedestrian access
and mobility plans). It is led by the community and managed
through a steering committee involving road authorities. The plan
ensures integration of existing and proposed strategies along with
future road upgrades.

road safety It is a formal examination of the potential and actual road safety
evaluation risks for an existing road from the perspective of all road users.
The intention is to identify road safety issues and risks that have or
could lead to road crashes or harm to people. It includes a road
safety audit, crash investigation and request for a speed zone
review. It is conducted by independent, qualified professionals. A
signed report is produced.
Further information on road safety evaluations can be found in
RTA’s Road Safety Audit Practices Part 2: Road Safety
Evaluations.

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Table 1 Description of each road safety assessment method

Method Description
road safety It is a formal examination of road safety risks along a future or
audit existing road from the perspective of all road users. The intention is
to identify road safety issues and risks that could lead to road
crashes or harm to people. It considers road and traffic
characteristics and design plans. It is conducted by an
independent, qualified team of professionals. A report signed by
each team member is produced.
A road safety audit is most effective before the road is built.
Further information on road safety audits can be found in
Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Road Safety Audit and
RTA’s Road Safety Audit Practices Part 2: Road Safety Audits.
crash It is a detailed analysis of road crashes over a number of years
investigation along an existing road. The intention is to identify and analyse
crash clusters, fatal and injury crash sites, common crash
characteristics and types and develop appropriate treatments. It is
conducted by a road safety professional. A signed report is
produced.
Further information on crash investigations can be found in
Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 8: Treatment of Crash
Locations.
speed zone It is a formal assessment of speed limits along an existing road to
review provide an appropriate level of safety while allowing for mobility
and amenity on public roads. It considers the road function,
roadside development, and road and traffic characteristics. It is
conducted by a qualified road safety professional. Formal
documents are produced.
Further information on speed zone reviews can be found in RTA’s
NSW Speed Zoning Guidelines.
road safety It an assessment of potential road safety risks for a proposed or
check existing road from the perspective of all road users. It is applied
where the overall risks are low (for example design and installation
of an indented bus bay along an existing road). The intention is to
identify road safety risks . It considers crash history and road and
traffic characteristics and is conducted by a road safety
professional. As it is a less formal approach a response is
produced.
Further information on road safety checks can be found in RTA’s
Road Safety Audit Practices Part 2: Road Safety Checks.

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Road safety assessment methods: deciding which one to use

Table 1 Description of each road safety assessment method

Method Description
safety benefits It is an assessment of the impact on road safety of proposed work
and impact on an existing road. The intention is to identify treatments for
calculation specific works which offer the highest benefit for road safety. Or the
intention is to compare the impact on road safety of each proposed
work to assist in prioritising a program of works. It considers crash
history and treatment options. It is undertaken by project
managers. A road safety impact index is produced.
Further information on safety benefits and impact calculation can
be found in RTA’s Road projects safety benefits and impact
caculation model user manual.

Each of these methods applies safe system principles to reduce the number of road
crashes and harm to people if a crash does occur. Each method has its own unique
application, level of detail, inputs, outputs and road safety outcomes. Knowing these
subtle differences between each method assists the practitioner in selecting the
optimal method for the given project or situation.

Choosing the appropriate method

A simple approach has been created to assist in selecting the most appropriate
method or methods for the job. The approach involves:

1. Establishing the desired effort (input) and level of detail in the output for the
given project or situation. The groups presented are: ‘road network’ level, ‘route /
town’ level or ‘road / site’ level. These are described as:
 The ‘road network’ level looks at a system of roads across a defined area. This
level provides general information.
 The ‘route / town’ level looks at highways, or connecting roads linking specific
destinations, or roads within a defined town/community area. This level
provides focused information.
 The ‘road / site’ level looks at individual roads or sites. This level provides
detailed information.

2. Deciding on the form of the road for the given project or situation. The groups
presented are: a ‘new’ road, an ‘existing’ road or a combination of both. These
are described as:
 A ‘new’ road involves creating roads and road related areas on land where
road users have not previously travelled, or significantly changing the function
and characteristics of roads and road related areas such that it does not
resemble what was there before.
 An ‘existing’ road involves roads and road related areas currently used by road
users.

3. Using Figure 1 to choose which method or methods to assess road safety are
suitable for the given project or situation. Figure 1 indicates each method to

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Road safety assessment methods: deciding which one to use

assess road safety against the level of detail and the form of the road. It also
indicates the order in which methods should be undertaken. For example, if a
number of assessments were to be undertaken for a ‘new road’ project, the order
would be:
a) road safety strategy,
b) major project safety assessment,
c) road safety audits, and finally
d) road safety checks.

This approach has been designed as a starting point and is purposefully made easy
for practitioners to use. The full complexities in each method are not presented. For
some projects or situations this may need to be further explored before choosing on
the optimal method or methods.

Conclusion
There are a number of methods offered to assess road safety on a road network. The
NSW Centre for Road Safety recognised that by providing practitioners with direction
on the different road safety methods offered and when they should be used, that
additional road safety benefits could be achieved.

The NSW Centre for Road Safety has created a simple approach for practitioners in
choosing the most appropriate method or methods for assessing road safety for their
project or situation. The approach considers the form of the road and the desired
effort and output. It offers a starting point for practitioners.

The overall target is to reduce road crashes and trauma if a crash does occur on our
road networks. By assessing roads from a road safety perspective and applying
appropriate countermeasures, we are well on the way to ensuring that road safety is
further enhanced for all road users.

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Figure 1. Road safety assessment method next to the detail level and road form.

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References

1. Austroads (2006). Guide to Road Safety Part 2: Road Safety Strategy and
Evaluation. Austroads incorporated, Sydney, Australia.
2. Austroads (2009). Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Road Safety Audit. Austroads
incorporated, Sydney, Australia.
3. Austroads (2006). Guide to Road Safety Part 7: Road Network Crash Risk
Assessment and Management. Austroads incorporated, Sydney, Australia.
4. Austroads (2009). Guide to Road Safety Part 8: Treatment of Crash Locations.
Austroads incorporated, Sydney, Australia.
5. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2009). Newell Highway
Safety Review. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales, Sydney
Australia.
6. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2009). NSW Speed Zoning
Guidelines. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales, Sydney
Australia.
7. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2010). Road projects safety
benefits and impact caculation model user manual.
8. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2011). Central West
Transport (CENWEST) routes review. Roads and Traffic Authority of New
South Wales, Sydney Australia.
9. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2011). Road Safety Audit
Practices Part 1: Road Safety Audit. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South
Wales, Sydney Australia.
10. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2011). Road Safety Audit
Practices Part 2: Road Safety Evaluation. Roads and Traffic Authority of New
South Wales, Sydney Australia.
11. Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2011). Road Safety Audit
Practices Part 3: Road Safety Check. Roads and Traffic Authority of New
South Wales, Sydney Australia.

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