Road safety audit - What we have learnt?

Abstract

The traffic accident problem in Malaysia is one of the most serious problem facing the nation. In the effort to reduce traffic accidents, 'Re-Active' initiatives, such as the 'Accident Blackspot' Program, 'Pro-Active' measures such as Road Safety Auditing and improved road design practices is implemented. In early 1997, Road Safety Audit (RSA) was started in JKR and a manual was produced as the primary guide for Road Safety Auditing by JKR and its Consultants engaged in this work. Since then, the implementation of RSA has revealed issues on poor RSA management, common repetitive mistakes by designers and the absence of warrant application. This paper discusses these issues and relates them to the study carried out. This study attempts to compare local RSA practices with other countries in finding the solutions to the above problems. It has been shown that having a policy, clear roles & responsibility and proper RSA management is vital in ensuring road safety is adequately catered for. Furthermore, frequent updating of design guidelines and building up of competency of road designers can substantially reduce the issue on quality of road design.