Road safety impact assessment practices and recommendations

Abstract

Abstract This article reviews the practices for conducting Road Safety Impact Assessment (RIA). An overview of current research and methodologies related to this field is presented, and various aspects of the preparation of RSIA are analysed. The DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on road infrastructure safety management (RISM Directive) defines the procedure “road safety impact assessment” as a strategic comparative analysis of the impact of a new road or a substantial modification to the existing network on the safety performance of the road network”; The RISM Directive provides only the basic framework for conducting such analysis by just pointing out its basic elements without providing specific methodology for it. Some countries have developed their own methodologies, others not. Although the RIA is a procedure, that was included in the initial RISM Directive (2008), Bulgaria has not yet had much experience with it, nor has a developed methodology or recommendations for it. The main aim of this article is to review and analyse international experience in conducting road safety impact assessment and to present some recommendations about it for such procedures from national teams. The article draws attention to the methods and tools used in the preparation of the RIA. This includes the collection and analysis of road infrastructure and traffic data, the study of previous safety analyses, modelling and simulations of the proposed measures, and the assessment of social and economic aspects. One of the main aspects discussed in the article is the possibility of using computer models and artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation of the RIA. AI can be applied to process large volumes of data and perform complex risk and scenario analyses. This allows practitioners to obtain more accurate and predictable results to serve as a basis for making informed road safety decisions. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the importance of preparing Road safety impact assessment and presents different practices and methodologies that can be used in this process. The use of computer models and AI can improve the efficiency and accuracy of RSIA and contribute to achieving higher standards of road safety.