National Academies Press: OpenBook

Road Safety Audits (2004)

Chapter: Front Matter

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Road Safety Audits. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23343.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Road Safety Audits. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23343.
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2004 (Membership as of July 2004) Officers Chair: Michael S. Townes, President and CEO, Hampton Roads Transit, Hampton, VA Vice Chairman: Joseph H. Boardman, Commissioner, New York State DOT Executive Director: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board Members MICHAEL W. BEHRENS, Executive Director, Texas DOT SARAH C. CAMPBELL, President, TransManagement, Inc., Washington, DC E. DEAN CARLSON, Director, Carlson Associates, Topeka, KS JOHN L. CRAIG, Director, Nebraska Department of Roads DOUGLAS G. DUNCAN, President and CEO, FedEx Freight, Memphis, TN GENEVIEVE GIULIANO, Director, Metrans Transportation Center and Professor, School of Policy, Planning, and Development, USC, Los Angeles BERNARD S. GROSECLOSE, JR., President and CEO, South Carolina State Ports Authority SUSAN HANSON, Landry University Professor of Geography, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University JAMES R. HERTWIG, President, CSX Intermodal, Jacksonville, FL GLORIA J. JEFF, Director, Michigan DOT ADIB K. KANAFANI, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley RONALD F. KIRBY, Director of Transportation Planning, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments HERBERT S. LEVINSON, Principal, Herbert S. Levinson Transportation Consultant, New Haven, CT SUE MCNEIL, Director, Urban Transportation Center and Professor, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs and Department of Civil and Material Engineering, University of Illinois, Chicago MICHAEL D. MEYER, Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology CAROL A. MURRAY, Commissioner, New Hampshire DOT JOHN E. NJORD, Executive Director, Utah DOT DAVID PLAVIN, President, Airports Council International, Washington, DC JOHN H. REBENSDORF, Vice President, Network Planning and Operations, Union Pacific Railroad Company, Omaha, NE PHILIP A. SHUCET, Commissioner, Virginia DOT C. MICHAEL WALTON, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin LINDA S. WATSON, Executive Director, LYNX, Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Orlando, FL MARION C. BLAKEY, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. DOT (ex officio) SAMUEL G. BONASSO, Acting Administrator, Research and Special Programs Administration, U.S. DOT (ex officio) REBECCA M. BREWSTER, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA (ex officio) GEORGE BUGLIARELLO, Chancellor, Polytechnic University and Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Engineering (ex officio) THOMAS H. COLLINS (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard (ex officio) JENNIFER L. DORN, Federal Transit Administrator, U.S. DOT (ex officio) EDWARD R. HAMBERGER, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads (ex officio) JOHN C. HORSLEY, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (ex officio) RICK KOWALEWSKI, Deputy Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. DOT (ex officio) WILLIAM W. MILLAR, President, American Public Transportation Association (ex officio) BETTY MONRO, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. DOT (ex officio) MARY E. PETERS, Federal Highway Administrator, U.S. DOT (ex officio) SUZANNE RUDZINSKI, Director, Transportation and Regional Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ex officio) JEFFREY W. RUNGE, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator, U.S. DOT (ex officio) ANNETTE M. SANDBERG, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator, U.S. DOT (ex officio) WILLIAM G. SCHUBERT, Maritime Administrator, U.S. DOT (ex officio) JEFFREY N. SHANE, Under Secretary for Policy, U.S. DOT (ex officio) CARL A. STROCK (Maj. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ex officio) ROBERT A. VENEZIA, Program Manager of Public Health Applications, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (ex officio) NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Transportation Research Board Executive Committee Subcommittee for NCHRP MICHAEL S. TOWNES, Hampton Roads Transit, Hampton, VA (Chair) JOSEPH H. BOARDMAN, New York State DOT GENEVIEVE GIULIANO, University of Southern California, Los Angeles JOHN C. HORSLEY, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials MARY E. PETERS, Federal Highway Administration ROBERT E. SKINNER, JR., Transportation Research Board C. MICHAEL WALTON, University of Texas, Austin

N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCHRP SYNTHESIS 336 Road Safety Audits A Synthesis of Highway Practice CONSULTANTS EUGENE M. WILSON Laramie, Wyoming and MARTIN E. LIPINSKI University of Memphis TOPIC PANEL RAY KRAMMES, Turner–Fairbank Highway Research Center ALLAN KWAN, Alberta Transportation JOHN LOGAN, JL and Associates, Seattle RICHARD PAIN, Transportation Research Board CLIFFORD REUER, South Dakota Department of Transportation EUGENE RUSSELL, Kansas State University LOIS THIBAULT, U.S. Access Board TOM WELCH, Iowa Department of Transportation TERECIA WILSON, South Carolina Department of Transportation HARI KALLA, Federal Highway Administration (Liaison) SUBJECT AREAS Safety and Human Performance Research Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2004 www.TRB.org

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway ad- ministrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individu- ally or in cooperation with their state universities and others. How- ever, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway au- thorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the Association and it receives the full coopera- tion and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council was requested by the Association to administer the re- search program because of the Board’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee struc- ture from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communication and coop- eration with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, uni- versities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time re- search correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs iden- tified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Re- search projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and qualified research agencies are selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board. The needs for highway research are many, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other highway research programs. NOTE: The Transportation Research Board of the National Acad- emies, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Admini- stration, the American Association of State Highway and Transporta- tion Officials, and the individual states participating in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report. NCHRP SYNTHESIS 336 Project 20-5 FY 2002 (Topic 34-02) ISSN 0547-5570 ISBN 0-309-07015-5 Library of Congress Control No. 2004096315 © 2004 Transportation Research Board Price $20.00 NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Co- operative Highway Research Program conducted by the Transporta- tion Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the Na- tional Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judg- ment that the program concerned is of national importance and appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this pro- ject and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly com- petence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appro- priate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and, while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical committee, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the Na- tional Research Council, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical committee according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street Washington, D.C. 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. r. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences. D The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of ngineering. E The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president f the Institute of Medicine. o The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad- emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the ational Research Council. N The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board’s mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary setting, the Board facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage more than 5,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

FOREWORD By Staff Highway administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which in- formation already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a conse- quence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solv- ing or alleviating the problem. Transportation Research Board PREFACE There is information on nearly every subject of concern to highway administrators and engineers. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and to make it available to the entire highway community, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials— through the mechanism of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program— authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing study. This study, NCHRP Project 20-5, “Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute an NCHRP report series, Synthesis of Highway Practice. The synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each re- port in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those meas- ures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems. This synthesis report provides a review of the state of the practice of road safety audit (RSA) and road safety audit review (RSAR) applications for U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Transportation safety professionals with these agencies and with local and re- gional entities, as well as others in both the public and private sectors, may be interested in this documentation of international, state, and some local agency approaches to the use of these tools in comprehensive safety programs. This synthesis of the Transportation Research Board places emphasis on North American applications. However, this document also dis- cusses international practice as RSAs were first introduced in the United Kingdom more than 20 years ago, and RSAs have been extensively applied in New Zealand and Austra- lia since the 1990s. This document promotes the use of RSAs and RSARs. The increased use of these applications may help reduce roadway crashes and fatalities. For this synthesis report of the Transportation Research Board survey responses were received from 38 state departments of transportation (DOTs) and 6 Canadian provinces. The state of the practice was developed based on this 2003 survey, state, and local agency practices, Federal Highway Administration- and National Highway Institute- sponsored training for state DOTs, local agency training experiences, international prac- tices, literature, and personal contacts. A panel of experts in the subject area guided the work of organizing and evaluating the collected data and reviewed the final synthesis report. A consultant was engaged to collect and synthesize the information and to write this report. Both the consultant and the members of the oversight panel are acknowledged on the title page. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand.

CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY 3 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Purpose and Methodology, 3 International Definition of Road Safety Audits and U.S. Definition of Road Safety Audit Reviews, 3 Clarifying Existing U.S. Safety Practice, 4 U.S. Road Safety Audit and Road Safety Audit Review Concerns, 4 U.S. Road Safety Audit and Road Safety Audit Review Status in 2003, 4 Future Issues of Road Safety Audit and Road Safety Audit Reviews, 4 6 CHAPTER TWO ROAD SAFETY AUDIT PROCESS What Is a Road Safety Audit?, 6 What Are the Benefits of Road Safety Audits?, 6 What Are the Stages of a Road Safety Audit?, 6 How Is a Road Safety Audit Conducted?, 7 Key Issues to Consider in Audit Reports, 9 Using Checklists and Prompt Lists, 9 What Is a Road Safety Audit Review?, 9 11 CHAPTER THREE U.S. PRACTICE OF ROAD SAFETY AUDITS AND ROAD SAFETY AUDIT REVIEWS Early Development in the United States, 11 Summary of Survey Responses, 11 Road Safety Audit and Road Safety Audit Review Practices of Model States, 16 21 CHAPTER FOUR INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE OF ROAD SAFETY AUDITS AND ROAD SAFETY AUDIT REVIEWS Introduction, 21 United Kingdom, 21 Australia and New Zealand, 23 Canada, 23 Ireland, 24 Italy, 24 Other Countries with Road Safety Audits, 24 Road Safety Audit Benefits, 25 International Training, 25 26 CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS 28 REFERENCES

29 BIBLIOGRAPHY 32 APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 40 APPENDIX B SURVEY RESPONDENTS 41 APPENDIX C SAMPLE AUDIT REPORTS 83 APPENDIX D AUDIT CHECKLISTS 121 APPENDIX E SOUTH CAROLINA DOT ROAD SAFETY AUDIT PROGRAM

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TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 336: Road Safety Audits examines the state of the practice of road safety audit (RSA) and road safety audit review applications for U.S. states and Canadian provinces. This synthesis also reviews international RSA practices. RSAs were first introduced in the United Kingdom more than 20 years ago and have been applied in New Zealand and Australia since the 1990s.

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