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Cover of Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Road Safety Audit
Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Road Safety Audit
  • Publication no: AGRS06-22
  • ISBN: 978-1-922700-22-3
  • Published: 19 January 2022
  • Edition: 6.0

Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Road Safety Audit provides practical guidance on the procurement, management and implementation of road safety audits.

This Guide has been developed within the current operating environment for auditing, setting a series of key principles which establish good practice to shape a local road safety audit strategy/policy.

Where practical issues necessitate, reasonable exemptions are supported, but must be formally justified and signed-off to ensure responsibility and accountability.

The importance of engaging non-road agency stakeholders in the audit process is also recognised and has been a major consideration in the practical nature of the guidance provided within this document.

Watch the webinar with Paul Hillier (Project Consultant), Joseph Le (Co-Project Manager) and Kenn Beer (Co-Project Manager and Technical Advisor).

This is the 6th edition of the Austroads Guide to Road Safety Auditing, and consolidates the 5th edition which was published in two parts; Parts 6 and 6A.

  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1 Road Safety Auditing and its Contribution
    • 1.2 Previous Austroads Guides
    • 1.3 Development of This Guide
    • 1.4 Guide Structure
    • 1.5 Who Should Use This Guide and How Should They Use It?
  • 2. The Key Features of RSA
    • 2.1 Introduction
    • 2.2 Why Designing to Standards and Guidelines does not Guarantee Safety
    • 2.3 What are the Attributes of the Safest Roads?
    • 2.4 Legal Considerations
    • 2.5 Closing Summary of the Key Benefits of RSA
  • 3. RSA Within a Road Safety Management Framework
    • 3.1 Introduction
    • 3.2 Explanation
    • 3.3 Verification of Designs
  • 4. The Operating Environment
    • 4.1 Introduction
    • 4.2 The Two Guiding Concepts
    • 4.3 The Three Themes within the Operating Environment
      • 4.3.1 Theme 1 – Raising Competency and Improving Outputs
      • 4.3.2 Theme 2 – Audit Coverage
      • 4.3.3 Theme 3 – Staying Relevant and Future Proofing
  • 5. RSA within the Safe System
    • 5.1 Introduction
    • 5.2 Applying Safe System Principles in the RSA Process
    • 5.3 Identifying Risk Mitigation Measures Under the Safe System
    • 5.4 Safe System Assessments (SSA)
  • 6. A Strategy for RSA
    • 6.1 Introduction
      • 6.1.1 New and Modified Road Infrastructure
      • 6.1.2 Existing Roads
    • 6.2 Developing a Local Strategy/Policy
    • 6.3 What Can be Audited and When Should Audits be Undertaken?
    • 6.4 Developing an Audit Schedule – New/Modified Road Infrastructure
    • 6.5 Developing an Audit Schedule – Existing Roads
  • 7. Types of RSA
    • 7.1 Feasibility (Strategic/Concept)
    • 7.2 Preliminary Design
    • 7.3 Detailed Design
    • 7.4 Pre-opening
    • 7.5 Immediate Post-opening (Post-completion)
    • 7.6 Existing Road
    • 7.7 Other Considerations
      • 7.7.1 Interim and Repeat Audits
      • 7.7.2 Thematic (Road User Specific) Audits
      • 7.7.3 Road Safety Checks and Asset Management Inspections
      • 7.7.4 Traffic Management
      • 7.7.5 Road Related Areas
      • 7.7.6 Emerging Technology
      • 7.7.7 Maintainability Assessment
  • 8. The RSA Process
    • 8.1 Introduction
    • 8.2 Client and Audit Teams
      • 8.2.1 Client Team
      • 8.2.2 Audit Team
    • 8.3 Communications
    • 8.4 The Responsibilities of the Client and Audit Teams
  • 9. Commissioning Phase
    • 9.1 Introduction
    • 9.2 Preparing the Audit Brief
    • 9.3 Providing Background Information
    • 9.4 Selecting the Audit Team
      • 9.4.1 Lead Auditor
      • 9.4.2 Auditor
      • 9.4.3 Additional Audit Attendees
    • 9.5 Auditor Competency
    • 9.6 Independence of the Audit Team
      • 9.6.1 New and Modified Infrastructure
      • 9.6.2 Existing Roads
      • 9.6.3 Summary
  • 10. Conducting Phase
    • 10.1 Introduction
    • 10.2 The Commencement Meeting
    • 10.3 Analysing the Information Supplied
    • 10.4 Undertaking the Audit – Identifying and Assessing Safety Risks and Hazards
      • 10.4.1 The Road as a System
      • 10.4.2 Prompt Lists and Front Loading
      • 10.4.3 Planning Site Inspections
      • 10.4.4 Considerations during the Site Inspection
      • 10.4.5 Practical Aspects of Site Inspections
      • 10.4.6 Practical Dilemmas when Conducting RSA
      • 10.4.7 Site Inspection De-brief Meeting
    • 10.5 Expressing and Prioritising Risks and Hazards
      • 10.5.1 Risk Assessment
    • 10.6 Making Recommendations
    • 10.7 The Audit Report
    • 10.8 Closing Summary – Conducting Stage
  • 11. Completion and Implementation Phases
    • 11.1 Introduction
    • 11.2 Handover of Audit Report and the Completion Meeting
    • 11.3 Reviewing the Audit Findings
    • 11.4 Responding to the Audit Report
    • 11.5 Importance of ‘Closing the Loop’
    • 11.6 Retention of Records
    • 11.7 Registration of Audits
  • 12. Auditing at Local Government Level
  • 13. Closing Remarks
  • References
  • Appendix A Key Terms
  • Appendix B Legal Issues
    • B.1 Key Messages from this Section
    • B.2 Context – Civil Claims against Road Agencies
    • B.3 The Positive Contribution of RSA
    • B.4 Procuring an Audit and ‘Closing the Loop’
    • B.5 Personal Professional Liability of Auditors
    • B.6 The Future – Could RSAs Become Mandatory?
  • Appendix C Example Local RSA Strategy/Policy
    • C.1 State Road Agency Example
    • C.2 Local Road Agency Example
  • Appendix D Examples of Safety Risks and Hazards by Audit Type
    • D.1 Design and Pre-opening Audits
    • D.2 Existing Roads
  • Appendix E Specimen Audit Brief
  • Appendix F Specimen Audit Findings Proforma and Audit Report
    • F.1 Example Audit Finding Proforma (Top Table) and Case Study Learning Example (Bottom Table)
    • F.2 Example Audit Report
  • Appendix G Example Auditor Code of Conduct
  • Appendix H Prompt Lists
    • H.1 Principles
    • H.2 Prompt List for Front Loading
    • H.3 Prompt List covering Local Alignment
    • H.4 Prompt List covering General Aspects
    • H.5 Prompt List covering Intersections
    • H.6 Prompt List covering Walking and Cycling
    • H.7 Prompt List covering Traffic Signs, Line Markings and Lighting
  • Appendix I Fact Sheets on Thematic Audits
    • I.1 Pedestrians
    • I.2 Cycling
    • I.3 Motorcycle
  • Appendix J Potential Ideas for the On-going Development of RSA
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