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Home > Road Safety Audits (RSA)
Road Safety Audits (RSA)- Home 
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RSA – Making Your Roads SaferWhat is an RSA?
A road safety audit (RSA) is a formal safety performance examination of       an existing or future road or intersection by an independent,       multidisciplinary team. Just as crime scene investigators focus their       attention on the various aspects of a specific locale, RSA teams study a       section of road or an intersection from a variety of perspectives.       Essentially, the goal is the same: to uncover the root causes of a       situation and then suggest actions.
Why conduct an RSA?
The answer is simple – to save lives and reduce injuries on your roads.       RSAs are a comprehensive and effective tool for proactively improving the       safety performance of a road while it is still in the planning or design       stage, or for identifying and mitigating safety concerns on existing roads       and intersections.

RSAs are an excellent tool to identify remedies to locations on public       roads that are exhibiting the most severe safety needs. State and local       agencies and tribal governments have successfully used RSAs to improve       safety. Transportation professionals experienced with RSAs are available       to share their experiences, answer questions, and help another agency or       Tribal Government conduct an RSA through the FHWA RSA Peer-to-Peer       program.

"States must now annually report 5% of their most severe safety             locales, and how they intend to remedy those problems. RSAs offer a             credible response to such challenges."

– Thomas M. Welch, P.E.State Transportation             Safety EngineerIowa DOT
What are the benefits of RSAs?
Recently compiled statistics show that RSAs are working and showing       measurable results.

In South Carolina after improvements were implemented at one site, the       DOT showed a 60% reduction in fatalities in one year at that location.

In Michigan, the Road Improvement Demonstration Program conducted       intersection RSAs and implemented improvements. Evaluation of 80 sites       showed a 40% reduction in injury crashes collectively and a cost to       benefit ratio of 16:1 over ten years.

Other benefits can be found online at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/.

"Much of the traffic in this country is on local roads, and we're             finding that we can make a big difference in how we handle that             traffic safely with RSAs in city and county transportation             agencies."

– Bill WrightTransportation Programming             ManagerClark County, WA
How can I conduct an RSA?FHWA offers two RSA training courses for       transportation professionals in State and local transportation agencies       and tribal governments. The first is a 2-day course available through the       National Highway Institute (NHI), called Road Safety Audits and Road       Safety Audit Reviews, FHWANHI- 380069. Information on course scheduling       can be found online at www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov. The second course, RSAs for       Locals, is geared toward local agencies, tribal governments, and Federal       land management agencies. This course is free and can be presented in 11⁄2       or 2-day formats. Information on course scheduling can be found online at       http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/brochure/training.htmHow does an RSA differ from a traditional safety review?- RSA teams are completely independent         
- RSA teams are multidisciplinary         
- RSAs consider all potential road users and their needs         
- RSAs generate a formal report         
- A formal response report is an essential element of an RSA

"If folks keep to their mission to provide safe roads, then part             of that would be having audits and checks to make sure that if we             have problems, we can identify them and address them." 

– Steven LaMarSenior Litigation             CouncilArizona Office of the Attorney       General
To Do List
___ Schedule RSA Training

___ Use RSA Peer-to-Peer program (To contact the RSA Peer-to-Peer       program, e-mail SafetyP2P@dot.gov       or call 866-P2P-FHWA.)

___ Use RSA guidelines (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/rsaguidelines/)

___ Implement suggestions and evaluate results
For more information       visit the RSA Website: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/
Publication # FHWA-SA-07-009

For more information about this RSA brochure, please       contact Heather Rigdon at Heather.Rigdon.ctr@dot.gov.

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Program Contact
Becky CroweProgram Managerrebecca.crowe@dot.gov804-775-3381       

TrainingHeather RigdonRSA Program       SupportHeather.Rigdon.ctr@dot.gov703-676-6828

Technical AssistanceK. Craig       AllredTransportation Specialistcraig.allred@dot.gov720-963-3236
What's New
Newsletter:       Summer 2010, Volume 2, Number 4

RSA       Toolkit CD

2009 RSA       Video

Tribal       RSA: Case Studies
Highlights
RSA Software

Sample RSA       Database

Sample       RSA Policies

Sample       RSA Reports

RSA Case       Studies

Pedestrian       RSA Guidelines

RSA Video 

RSA Brochure

RSA       Guidelines

RSAs For       SafetyTransportation professionals employ audits to scrutinize       roadways for safety issues-and reduce crashes, injuries, fatalities, and       costs in the process. Artice by Lousia Ward.

RSA       Peer-to-Peer ProgramFHWA has a new peer-to-peer program for RSAs       where you can receive on-site or over the phone assistance on an RSA from       a peer for no charge.

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