Road safety auditing (RSA) continues to play a vital role in saving lives and reducing serious injuries across the road networks of Australia and New Zealand. As a long-established, internationally recognized process, RSA’s identify road safety risks and hazards at different stages of a road's life cycle, allowing these issues to be addressed and mitigated. The primary goal is to prevent road accidents. RSA findings can also offer valuable insights when reviewing sites where crashes have already occurred and outcomes of the Road Safety Audit can be used to provide documentation into poor safety conditions for inclusion into design project scopes.

Although RSA predates the Safe System approach (Austroads 2018), it remains highly relevant, as it is increasingly recognized that adhering solely to road design standards and guidelines is not enough to ensure road safety. RSA’s will continue to be an essential and beneficial step in the design and delivery of road projects. It should not be seen as an additional cost or a potential source of delays.

An RSA should not be considered a standalone process, they complement—or can be complemented by—other proactive, reactive, and predictive road safety processes as part of the complete design or investigation to design process. This integrated approach supports a road safety strategy aligned with the global vision of zero road fatalities. Ultimately, RSA’s help road agencies demonstrate their commitment to fulfilling their duty of care to road users.

Road Safety Audit Stages

1. Feasibility (Strategic/Concept) Stage - Conducted during the initial planning and feasibility phase to identify potential safety risks and opportunities early in the project's lifecycle.

2. Preliminary Design Stage - Audits performed as the design concepts are developed, ensuring that road safety considerations are incorporated into the preliminary plans.

3. Detailed Design Stage - Focuses on more refined, specific safety issues based on the detailed design, addressing aspects like signage, road geometry, and pedestrian safety.

4. Pre-Opening Stage - A final check before opening the road to ensure all safety risks have been addressed and that the road is fit for use by all road users.

5. Immediate Post-Opening/Post-Completion Stage - Conducted shortly after the road opens to identify any unforeseen safety issues and ensure the road operates as designed.

6. Existing Road (> 3 months) - Ongoing audits for existing roads that have been in operation for more than three months, focusing on emerging safety concerns from actual use.

7. Other Audits - Includes a range of specialized audits and assessments not covered in the traditional stages, such as:

• Interim Audits: Conducted as a project progresses, typically in response to changes or modifications to the road environment.
• Thematic (Specialist Road User) Audits: Focused audits that target specific user groups such as cyclists, pedestrians, or motorcyclists, to address their unique safety needs.
• Traffic Management/Control Audits: Evaluating the effectiveness of traffic management systems in ensuring safety and smooth traffic flow, particularly during construction or incidents.
• Adjacent Usage/Shared Area Audits: Examining areas where roads intersect with other land uses, like shared spaces for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, to assess safety and potential conflicts.
• Modern Technology Audits: Assessing the integration of new technologies, such as intelligent traffic systems, automated vehicles, and smart infrastructure, to ensure they do not introduce new risks.
• Maintainability Audits: Ensuring that road infrastructure is designed for easy maintenance and continued safety over time, taking into account wear and tear, weather conditions, and long-term sustainability.