UK national standard adopts four stages within the design process when a road safety audit should be undertaken
Stage 1 – Preliminary Design
Stage 2 – Detailed Design
Stage 3 – Completion of Construction
Stage 4 Post Opening Monitoring
Road authorities in different countries can have up to seven different stages. Most commonly an additional stage F -Feasibility is sometimes used for initial route alignment, as well as audits of work zone (temporary traffic management) layouts during construction and additional stages post- opening.
Different sizes and types of schemes can require different numbers of audits through the whole design and construction process.
Road Safety Audits need to be undertaken on any road scheme that involves any form of design. However, not every stage of the audit is needed on every scheme.
Some of the stages may be omitted depending on the type, size and complexity of a scheme.
As an absolute minimum at least one stage of pre- and post-construction audit should be undertaken.
Some schemes and highway works that do not result in any physical changes or changes in road user behaviour may not need a road safety audit.
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