Safety Audits: A Comparison of Traditional Safety Audits to the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model

In the United States there are currently two different options for providing safety audits to roadway projects. Traditional audits can be conducted using procedures similar to those in the United Kingdom, or those similar to Australia and New Zealand (Austroads). Another option for conducting safety audits is to use the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) developed by the Federal Highway Administration. Traditional audits are comprised of an independent audit team, which performs in depth evaluations of projects at different stages of development and indicates potential areas of safety concern. The IHSDM uses policy review, crash prediction, design consistency, intersection review, and traffic analysis modules to evaluate project design safety. Although the traditional safety audit methods provide a more catered look at the project design, the IHSDM is more applicable for use in the United States. The IHSDM is able to reach nearly the same level of detail as the traditional safety audits, provided that some follow-up analysis is performed outside of the Model itself, with less requirements for manpower and funding. Endorsement of its use will allow wider application of safety audits than endorsement of traditional safety audits, which in turn expands the use an