Austroads have released a new Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Managing Road Safety Audits which complements the existing road safety audit guide that has been retitled Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 6A: Implementing Road Safety Audits.
It is Austroads’ intention to consolidate the two parts of the guide into a single guide in the future.
Important: Where the new guide and the retitled existing guide are in conflict, Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Managing Road Safety Audits will take precedence.
What does this mean for auditors in Western Australia?
Auditors should familiarise yourselves with the new Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Managing Road Safety Audits.
The new guide has adopted a large number of approaches developed in Western Australia as examples of good practice. This means that in most cases you should continue to do what you are currently practicing.
The new guide introduces the following key changes:
• An Audit Team should consist of at least two members who meet the following knowledge, skills and experience guidance: as a minimum experience in road safety engineering or crash investigation, and knowledge of road design or traffic engineering principles.
• Embedding Safe System principles in road safety audit practice – this is achieved by considering crash severity, crash exposure and crash likelihood (focusing on the key crash types that may lead to fatal or serious injuries).
• Provides examples of good practice when preparing an audit brief and a road safety audit report.
• Updated guidance that relaxes existing independence requirements when conducting road safety inspections on existing roads by road agencies.
• Highlights the importance of using control data to apply an evidence-based approach to road safety auditing, this is achieved by referring to sources such as Austroads guidelines and research publications to support audit findings.
• Provides an example of good practice to assist local governments to develop a road safety audit policy.
The new guide is free to download from Austroads website click here.