Road safety audits have become a proactive means of improving road safety and rectifying potential safety deficiencies on the road. Accident investigation procedures are undertaken after an accident, whereas road safety audits seek to identify safety problems both before an accident and often before a road project is completed. Presented is a brief history of the development of road safety audits as well as an outline of the common practice undertaken in the audits. Discussed are the benefits as well as the liability concerns associated with the audits. Also described is a methodology of risk assessments not found in the most manuals on road safety audits.