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                Safe System Assessment Framework
**Description:**
        This application guide presents a framework for assessing how well existing or proposed infrastructure and road environments align with Safe System objectives. The Safe System approach is characterized by the notion that safer roads and roadsides, vehicles, speeds, and road users all contribute to safety and must work together to improve safety. The Safe System approach also puts a responsibility on road managers to ensure driver errors do not lead to high severity outcomes.
The Safe System assessment framework is a methodology that considers the multiple aspects of road safety. Focus crash types with a high propensity for fatal and severe outcomes are addressed with a matrix scoring system to rank relative risks in a number of areas. Analysts develop a score for each facility, alternative, network, or system to assess the road or road environment in the context of Safe System objectives. The scores and matrices can be used to identify areas of high risk, such as a high-risk crash type due to high exposure or a specific situation that leads to high severity crashes. Agencies can target infrastructure projects to address the safety issues identified based on the ratings in the assessments.
The application guide instructs users on applying the assessment framework. Appendix A also contains a background on the Safe System approach.
    
          **Tool Type:**
        Application Guide
    
    
    
          **Owner Source:**
        organization
    
          **Sponsor/Owner:**
        Austroads
    
        **Published:**
      2016
    
        **Availability:**
      The information guide is free of charge at the following link: Safety System Assessment Framework.
    
          **Disclaimer:**
        This information is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained herein. This information does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturer's names appear in this information only because they are considered essential to the objective of this publication.
          Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations, and translations thereof, expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Highway Administration. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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