CHAPTER I The Problem

Introduction A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is defined as "the formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent, multidisciplinary team. It qualitatively estimates and reports on potential road safety issues and identifies opportunities for improvements in safety for all road users." A key feature of a road safety audit is the use of a team of professionals with varied expertise. The team should include highway safety engineers, highway design engineers, maintenance personnel, and law enforcement. Additional specialties should be added to the team as needed. The team members must not be involved in the design or maintenance of the facility being examined, so that they can have an objective point of view. The road safety audit may investigate general safety conditions, or it may focus on specific concerns or users. Walkability audits concentrate on pedestrian safety and accommodation, and transit audits focus on safety of bus and train users. One of the strengths of the audit process is it can find safety concerns before they contribute to crashes. Lack of data is a reason to use the audit process, rather than an excuse not to.1 This discusses to us what is road safety audit is all about, wherein it presents to us the simplified definition of what is needed for a safe road As part of the ongoing process of building safety into highway improvement schemes and other developments affecting the public highway, a procedure for auditing designs and newly completed works has been implemented. A safety audit is an

evaluation of highway improvement schemes during design and at the end of construction. The audits are carried out on Council and developer promoted schemes, the latter as part of the planning control process. They ensure that adequate levels of safety are maintained, and that problems identified at similar sites are avoided in new works. Aims of a road safety audit are; to identify potential road safety problems, to eliminate/mitigate those safety problems, to minimize accident numbers and severity. Safety audits only consider road safety matters. They are not a check on design standards, a technical check, or an opportunity to redesign a scheme. Safety audits are carried out at 4 distinct stages of a project: Stage I Feasibility and preliminary design i.e. conceptual, Stage II Detailed design, Stage III Upon completion (and preferably before being open to traffic), Stage IV After the project has been in operation for a period of time. At each stage the findings of the auditors, together with any recommendations, are put in a formal report to the Client for action. The designer is required to respond formally to any points made in the audit and agreement must be reached with the auditor before proceeding with the project. If there is no agreement then the designer will need to apply for an exception report. Stage 4 safety audits are automatically carried out after 12 and 36 months after the scheme has been completed. This audit investigates the number of personal injury accidents that occur so that serious problems can be identified and remedial work recommended. In order to provide an efficient and speedy service, the County Council has found it necessary to impose a charge for stage 2 and 3 audits. Developers will be charged on an at-cost basis for safety audit work where appropriate. Audits required as part of the planning process i.e. at stage 1 will not be charged for. Audits carried out as part of Section 106 and Section 38 Agreements i.e. at stages 2 and 3 will be charged for.

The charge will be based on actual costs incurred in carrying out the audit work. The standard charge for a stage 2 audit is 220.35, plus an hourly rate of 36.65 (2010), plus mileage costs. The standard charge for a stage 3 audit is 551.50, plus an hourly rate of 36.65 (2010), plus mileage costs. (Note: the stage 3 will include a stage 3 night time audit. There is no additional charge for 4a and 4b safety audit). On submission of a request for a chargeable audit an estimate of total cost will be provided for guidance, to the person who commissioned the audit.2 It discusses about the background, aims of a road safety audit, the stages of safety audit, and charging. It also mentioned that a designer needs to provide various pieces of information for each of the stages. For example the designer should provide a location plan and drawing showing the outline and extent of the proposal, all construction drawings this includes: layout; construction; drainage; lighting; signing (with signing schedules); signals (including phase diagrams); measurements or a scaled drawing; and many more. Every year more than 1.17 million people die in road crashes around the world. The majority of these deaths, about 70 percent occur in developing countries. Sixty-five percent of deaths involve pedestrians and 35 percent of pedestrian deaths are children. Over 10 million are crippled or injured each year. It has been estimated that at least 6 million more will die and 60 million will be injured during the next 10 years in developing countries unless urgent action is taken. The majority of road crash victims (injuries and fatalities) in developing countries are not the motorized vehicle occupants, but pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists and non-motorized vehicles (NMV) occupants. A simple but effective monitoring and evaluation system is required to track progress of road safety activities and to estimate the safety impact. For action plans in developing

countries, initial focus is often on institutional strengthening and capacity building rather than just on reducing of casualties in numeric terms. Monitoring and evaluation systems established as part of implementing action plans and safety initiatives must therefore, where appropriate, be able to indicate progress towards achievement of institutional impact and developmental objectives. The introduction of self enforcing techniques in road designs is likely to have much better short term results than improving vehicle standards and driver testing requirements. Many developing countries have either just adopted road standards from developed countries or modified such standards without fully evaluating the consequences. The traffic mix and road usage in developing countries is very different from that in developed countries. Road crashes can be prevented by better planning and more safety conscious design of the road network. Systematic identification and treatment of hazardous locations can improve road safety substantially. The remedial measures are usually low cost and countries with limited resources should initially consider such schemes. Road safety audit is the systematic checking of the safety aspects of new highway and traffic management schemes, including modifications to existing layouts. The main aim is to design out safety problems from the beginning and to reduce future problems. Safety audits should be included during the design, construction and maintenance phases of road projects. In many developing countries safety devices are included in the designs, but are simply not constructed on the ground. Frequently, road maintenance is limited to fixing potholes and cleaning drainage facilities, without replacing missing traffic signs, guard-rails, road markings and other safety features essential to create a safe road network. The Institution of Highways and Transportation in the UK produce Guidelines for the Safety Audit of Highways. More information,

including ordering details is available from The Institution of Highways and Transportation. Research and Development is an important part of safety work and should be incorporated into road safety programs. Road safety research aims to improve knowledge about factors contributing to road crashes, effects of different

countermeasures, and development of new and more effective safety measures. It forms the framework of knowledge against which better policy and resource allocation decisions can be made to ensure most effective use of available resources.3 According to this entry road safety is affected by certain factors such as road crash problem, monitoring and evaluation, designing roads to improve road safety (safety engineering), road safety audits, and last but not least road safety research. Sixth Road Project Capacity Building Component: Philippines Road Safety Strategy (a project of The Asian Development Bank - Philippines Government Department of Public Works & Highways). The purpose of the project was to improve the traffic accident prevention program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Philippines. Priority was aimed at building the capacity of the DPWH to manage road safety as a key organizational business function. This would provide sustainability for the implementation of road safety throughout the DPWH. Study tasks include;organizing and conducting the Road Safety Infrastructure Improvement

Investigations program of 35 hazardous sites throughout Philippines, including crash data analysis, site investigations, and recommendations of treatments and reports, setting up Hazardous Location Investigation policies and procedures for future use by DPWH personnel, reviewing and revising Road Signs and Pavement Marking manuals,

preparing Road Safety Audit Handbook & Procedures manual reviewing the National

Road Safety Action Plan, conduct training on road safety audit procedures.4 This is a convention held for Asian countries including Philippines where it shows road projects across Asia. It also includes the road reports of different Asian countries and showed the ranking of each Asian country in terms of road safety management and more. In 2007, the road density of the Philippines shown in Figure 1.2 was estimated to be 0.67 kilometers/square kilometer, increasing from 0.54 km/sq. km in 2003 the highest among Southeast Asian countries, except Singapore. The Philippine road network has been improved at the rate of 25% between 1990 and 2007. As of 2009, the estimated total length of roads in the Philippines is 213,351, of which 54,481 km are paved and 158,670 km unpaved. The country ranks 24th in the world in terms of total length of roads (h e World Factbook-CIA, 2010). Although trac congestion is a main challenge in major urban centers, with an estimated 937,648 passenger cars registered nationwide, the rate of motorization (in passenger cars per 1,000 people) of the Philippines ranks 11th, one of the lowest among its Southeast Asian neighbors. Most Filipinos take public transport with an estimate of about 70% of the total person trips taking PT with as high as 80% in highly urbanized cities. Table 1.1 shows the distribution of road transport services in the country. h ere are currently over 23,000 buses, 36,000 taxis and about 217,000 jeepneys providing PT services throughout the country. The Philippines, like many countries around the world, is faced with the problem of road crashes. Every year in the Philippines, approximately 9 thousand fatalities are attributed to road trac accidents. The annual cost of accidents is estimated at over 100 billion pesos that constitute about 2.6% of the GDP. The ADB had launched initiatives to curb this alarming global problem. In 2004, ASEAN countries exerted collective eort to have a regional national

road safety action plan, which meant that member countries have their own national plans. The National Road Safety Action Plan (NRSAP) of the Philippines (signed by the Issues and Challenges in the Transport Sector 39 President in 2004, revised in 2007) consists of road safety programs until 2015 addressing the three Es (engineering, enforcement, and education), frameworks for administrative and legislative support, and public-private sector partnership. The target is to reduce to ~2% by 2015 the annual road accident fatality growth rate, from the baseline ~4% in 2004. h e plan was drafted and is being implemented jointly by government, academe, industry, and other private sectors. Needless to say, an environmentally sustainable transport is fundamentally a safe transport. h e EST strategy must complement and support the realization of the NRSAP. Immediate concern, still, is the establishment of a road accident database system that will provide objective information for all sectors of the road safety initiative. Publicity campaigns and education on road safety, especially for the vulnerable road users like children, pedestrians, and motorcyclists must be persistent. Filipino road user must imbibe a road safety culture. Road and other trac facilities must be planned, designed, constructed, and maintained, always, with road safety as a primary concern. Private sector participation must be considered for the long term even more. Currently, nancial support for NRSAP programs under the DOTC comes from a portion of the MVUC. It is encouraging to see that several private organizations are quite enthusiastic in supporting road safety initiatives in an eort to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility. The strategy for achieving accident-free road transport in the country is already formulated in the countrys National Road Safety Action Plan (NRSAP). With a target of reducing the accident rate to approximately 2% in 2015 from the baseline 4% in 2004, the underlying

strategies documented in NRSAP can be divided into 5 main areas namely: safer vehicles, safer roads, safer road users, eective road safety management, and eective road safety support system. It can be observed that the strategy imply multi-sector and inter-agency cooperation among government agencies, NGO, and private sector. Education of road users, enforcement (and enactment) of regulations, as well as proper road/vehicle design and engineering are among the key elements in these strategies. h is paves the way for the Philippines active participation in activities focused on a Decade of Action for Road Safety: 2011-2020.5 This is centered to the strategies for road safety and maintenance which includes safer vehicles, safer roads, effective road safety management, effective road safety support system, and safer road users. Significance of the Study The findings of this study are considered significant to engineering students, professional engineers, government and private engineering establishments, nongovernment officials (?), general public, and future researchers. Engineering students. This will better enhance their knowledge and understanding on the subjects connected to designing a safer road for the public. As future engineers this information will help them realize the value of their work, and the responsibility they have for the safety of the public. Professional engineers. This will inform them the present status of roads. It will provide data essential for the improvement of other road structure to be constructed. The data to be gathered will also be helpful for the planning of a safer road for the public.

Non-government officials. In partnership with the road projects of engineers, this research may be helpful in answering questions and clarifying knowledge regarding road safety. This may also be a source of reading material or reference and guide in building for safer roads. General public. This study will provide knowledge to the public the present status of the roads they walk on everyday. This can be a source for defending the rights and importance of a safe path to walk in and encouraging our leaders to be more responsible in the construction of roads. Future researchers. This study can be their reference, wherein it can provide information needed in their study. They can improve and delve further the other factors and sub-topics that are not discussed in this study.

NOTES
1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_safety_audit http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/safety/ http://www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/safety.htm http://samsaconsulting.com/page10.php

http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Consultant/PHI/41076/41076-01-phitacr-02.pdf