Description
This comprehensive course presents the Road Safety Audit (RSA) as a proactive approach to improving transportation safety. The RSA is an examination of a future or existing roadway by an independent, qualified audit team. This course covers topics such as the reasons for conducting RSAs, the stages of a road safety audit, step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a road safety audit, and legal considerations.
Given the Web-based format, this course provides the student with "virtual hands-on" application of the RSA process, including easy-to-use RSA forms, links to reference materials, sample RSAs, and RSA checklists and prompt lists.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Relate the basic concepts of an RSA
- Assess the benefits of RSAs
- List and explain RSA procedures
- Discuss, in detail, the process of conducting a road safety audit
- Discuss common issues and challenges associated with RSAs
- Participate in the conduct of an RSA
Audience
- State DOT employees who contribute to the planning, design, and development of the state’s highways and who may conduct RSAs and RSARs for the state
- Consultants who regularly work with the state to plan, design, and develop state highways and who may contribute to RSAs and RSARs
Length
Approximately six to eight hours.
Course Outline
The course outline is as follows:
Course Overview
- Lesson 1. The Basics
- What Is a Road Safety Audit?
- What a Road Safety Audit Is Not
- RSA vs. RSAR
- Why Do We Need RSAs?
- Examples of the Need for RSAs
- More on Why We Need RSAs
- Stages of RSAs
- When Do We Conduct RSAs?
- RSAs: Key Differences
- Pre-construction RSAs
- Benefits of RSAs
- Costs of RSAs
- RSA Benefit/Cost Ratios
- Characteristics of Successful RSAs
- Lesson 1 Objectives Review
- Lesson 1 Quiz
- Lesson 2. RSA Procedures
- The 8-Step RSA Process
- RSA Step 1: Identify Project or Road To be Audited
- Pre-construction RSAs
- Post-construction RSAs
- RSA Step 2: Select the Audit Team
- The RSA Team
- Interdisciplinary RSA Team
- Interdisciplinary RSA Team (cont'd)
- RSA Step 3: Conduct a Pre-Audit Meeting
- Characteristics of Pre-audit Meeting
- RSA Step 4: Perform Field Review
- About the Field Review
- Knowledge Check: The 8-Step RSA Process
- RSA Step 5: RSA Analysis
- Conducting the RSA
- RSA Step 6: Present Findings to Project Owner
- Preliminary Findings Meeting
- RSA Report
- RSA Step 7: Prepare Formal Response
- Response Letter
- RSA Step 8: Incorporate Findings into the Project
- Incorporating Audit Findings
- Lesson 2 Objectives Review
- Lesson 2 Quiz
- Lesson 3. Understanding Risk and Safety
- Conducting the Field Review (Site Visit)
- Field Review
- Observation Conditions
- Examples of Observed Conditions
- Checklists and Prompt Lists
- Field Review Procedures
- RSA Analysis
- Getting Organized
- Conducting the RSA
- Identifying Safety Issues
- Geometry
- Operations
- User Characteristics and Interactions
- User Interactions
- RSA Analysis Issues
- Qualitative RSA Analysis
- Frequency Rating
- Example
- Severity Rating
- Overall Rating
- Overall Ranking
- Quantitative RSA Analysis: IHSDM
- Crash Prediction
- Mitigating Safety Issues
- Examples
- Presentation of Findings
- RSA Report
- Pre-Construction Audit
- Post-Construction Audit
- Response Letter
- Examples
- Lesson 3 Objectives Review
- Lesson 3 Quiz
- Lesson 4. Issues and Challenges of RSAs
- RSA Responsibilities
- Managing Expectations
- Concerns
- Project Delay
- Project Costs
- Legal Liability
- Resources & References
- Lesson 4 Objectives Review
- Lesson 4 Quiz
- Lesson 5. RSA Problems and Solutions
- Example 1: A Four-Leg Urban Intersection
- Example 2: Planning-Stage RSA of an Urban Corridor
- Example 3: Post-Construction RSA of Traffic Circles in a Suburban Area
- Example 4: RSA of a Two-Lane Rural Road Scheduled for Rehab
- Lesson 5 Objectives Review
- Lesson 5 Quiz
- Lesson 6. RSA Desktop Case Study
- Background Information
- Intersection Layout
- Ward Street
- Virginia Avenue
- Traffic Control
- Collision History
- Collision Distribution
- Exercise
- Safety Issues
- Suggested Mitigation
- Lesson 6 Objectives Review
- Lesson 6 Quiz
- Lesson 7. Practice Audit
- Introduction
- Start-up Meeting
- Site Visits
- Audit Analysis & Reports
- Review
- Why Do We Need RSAs?
- Audit Analysis
- Conducting the Audit
- Identifying Safety Issues
- Geometry
- Operations
- User Characteristics and Interactions
- Frequency Rating
- Severity Rating
- Overall Rating
- Mitigating Safety Issues
- Getting Organized
- Present Audit Findings
- Prepare Formal Response
- Lesson 7 Objectives Review
- Lesson 7 Quiz
- Course Completion
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