OUTPUT 04

Review of tools and methods related to Road Safety Inspection.

The task will be implemented as part of working package 1 (Directive 2019/1936/EC – The Road Infrastructure Safety Management – international perspective).
As part of the task, the Road Safety Inspection (RSI) tool, which is part of the road infrastructure safety management system (RISM), will be reviewed and evaluated.
Under previous Directive 2008/96/EC, the member states were required to prepare an assessment of the RSI methodology on selected roads of the Trans-European Road Network (TEN-T). The member states could extend the scope of this method to other roads. In Poland, the inspection is conducted on all national roads.
RSI is a periodic identification of sources of hazards and hazards on an existing road that can reduce the level of safety of road users. Road safety inspection procedures can be divided into three levels of detail: general inspection (RSIG), detailed inspection (RSID) and special inspection (night-time, road works, accident scene with fatalities) (RSIS). RSI applies to all objects and phenomena important for road safety occurring on roads and in the area of their direct impact. It is carried out taking into account the level of safety of all road users. RSI is an example of proactive action aimed at eliminating proposals generating road traffic hazards, which is a priority in the implementation of the new Directive 2019/1936/EC.
Review of the developed tools, methodology, assumptions and scope of areas covered by RIS under Directive 2008/96/EC will enable evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of this tool. After many years of experience with the implementation of RIS, road inspectors have indicated the need for its update, e.g. in relation to safety issues of vulnerable users (especially the elderly) or hazards in the road surroundings.
The first result of the task will be a comparison of the tools used, areas of application, level of detail and division of the network into reference sections related to the Road Safety Inspection in selected EU countries, developed under Directive 2008/96/EC or other legal acts. The second result will be the development of RSI recommendations for the newly implemented Directive 2019/1936/EC.

Target groups:

1. Research and teaching staff from institutions involved in the project.
2. Specialists dealing with road safety issues at the national and international level.

Elements of innovation:

1. Data gathering and comparison of the methodology of RSI implementation in Poland, Croatia, Italy and Germany and other selected EU countries.
2. Developing a set of best practices, verification of previous assumptions and scope of areas covered by the RSI in the countries of consortium participants.
3. Constructing a database with information on implemented tools and methodology of conducted analyses.

Expected impact:

Acquisition of knowledge by research and teaching staff from institutions involved in the project. Publication of joint articles and conference presentations related to the comparison of the methodology, scope and issues related to the RSI in selected EU countries.

Transferability potential:

Comparison of individual RSI methods in the countries of the partners participating in this project will allow the transfer of acquired knowledge to other EU member states and EU associated countries

The division of work:

The work will be divided among all consortium participants and will include:
• Review of the RSI methodology and tools.
• Comparison of methods, areas of application and scope of data collection.
• Construction of a database with classification of sources of hazards and actual hazards.
• Preparation of recommendations for the RSI implementation for regional and urban roads and recommendations for updating RSI implementation procedures for national roads.
• Preparation of a publication summarising the analysed issue.

The tasks leading to the production of the intellectual output:

Each of the participants of the consortium involved in this task will be responsible for collecting necessary information about the methodology, scope of data collection and tools used as part of this procedure in a given country. The leading institution (EuroRAP) will be responsible for collecting all materials, organising them, preparing a report and supervising the joint publication.

Applied methodology:

In the task, a case-based methodology will be applied that allows for focus on selected issues within the RSI in individual countries. This, in turn, allows for the assessment of the value of key elements used in this procedure and their comparison.