Introduction
This section provides some general information on Road Safety Audits and the council’s requirements in respect of new works constructed on the existing highway (under Section 278 of the Highways Act or, in some cases, works under Section 38 of the Highways Act). Improvements and minor mitigation schemes may be dealt with under the Section 184 approval process (Alterations to existing, and formation of new, dropped kerb access that are covered by Leicestershire County Council standard drawings SD/11/9, SD/11/10 and SD/11/11). Please refer to the LHDG Section 184 guidance.
What are road safety audits?
The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, GG 119 “Road Safety Audits” is the national standard for Road Safety Audits. The purpose of road safety audits is to identify aspects of engineering interventions and schemes that could give rise to road safety problems and recommend modifications to the designers to mitigate these problems and improve road safety.
Road safety audits are undertaken by an Audit Team with experience of collision data analysis, road safety engineering and a reasonable understanding of the principles of highway design. The Audit Team MUST be independent of the Design Team who produce the scheme to be audited.
Road safety audits are therefore checks to ensure that a road is designed and operates as safely as is possible to keep accident numbers to a minimum. They should only consider road safety matters and are not a technical check of compliance with design standards or requirements.