Road Safety Audit is a relatively new tool, available to assist road agencies in lowering potential collision risk on new road schemes or highway improvements. The principles can also be extended to cover analysis of existing roads, particularly where accident data is poor or non-existent. Audit Teams often use checklists, which prompt the auditor to consider factors which could lead to road accidents. Checklists are a useful tool aimed at helping the Audit Team during the assessment of the safety problems since they provide a good reminder of issues which need to be reviewed. However, they cannot be expected to cover all the issues which may arise in every Audit and cannot be a substitute for the safety auditor’s skills and safety background. Although checklists are helpful and are included in almost all the international Road Safety Audit guidelines, they have several drawbacks which restrict their effectiveness and use. Checklists can never cover all the safety aspects, and as checklists become more voluminous in order to be comprehensive, they become intimidating and overwhelming. Experienced Safety Audit Teams typically find such checklists redundant since the lists miss the interactivity between design elements, and threaten some of the independent and intelligent creativity of the auditor. It is important that safety auditors base their work on sound safety experience, and where possible, have the means to back up the recommendations from documented sources. Accident control data can be used to assist safety auditors by means of effective and accessible data-bases. This assists with both the identification of problems, and with the recommendations for improvement. This paper describes the potential for a new tool aimed at improving checklists, and at improving the effectiveness of the Road Safety Audit procedure. The tool involves the development of a computer based decision supporting system (DSS) which combines interactive checklists and control data.
Road Safety Audit Checklists: Current Practice and Future Developments / Montella, Alfonso; Proctor, S.. - ELETTRONICO. - (2001), pp. 1-15. (Intervento presentato al convegno Traffic Safety on Three Continents tenutosi a Mosca, Russia nel 19-21 settembre 2001).
Road Safety Audit Checklists: Current Practice and Future Developments
MONTELLA, ALFONSO;
2001
Abstract
Road Safety Audit is a relatively new tool, available to assist road agencies in lowering potential collision risk on new road schemes or highway improvements. The principles can also be extended to cover analysis of existing roads, particularly where accident data is poor or non-existent. Audit Teams often use checklists, which prompt the auditor to consider factors which could lead to road accidents. Checklists are a useful tool aimed at helping the Audit Team during the assessment of the safety problems since they provide a good reminder of issues which need to be reviewed. However, they cannot be expected to cover all the issues which may arise in every Audit and cannot be a substitute for the safety auditor’s skills and safety background. Although checklists are helpful and are included in almost all the international Road Safety Audit guidelines, they have several drawbacks which restrict their effectiveness and use. Checklists can never cover all the safety aspects, and as checklists become more voluminous in order to be comprehensive, they become intimidating and overwhelming. Experienced Safety Audit Teams typically find such checklists redundant since the lists miss the interactivity between design elements, and threaten some of the independent and intelligent creativity of the auditor. It is important that safety auditors base their work on sound safety experience, and where possible, have the means to back up the recommendations from documented sources. Accident control data can be used to assist safety auditors by means of effective and accessible data-bases. This assists with both the identification of problems, and with the recommendations for improvement. This paper describes the potential for a new tool aimed at improving checklists, and at improving the effectiveness of the Road Safety Audit procedure. The tool involves the development of a computer based decision supporting system (DSS) which combines interactive checklists and control data.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
