Road Safety Inspection

TII Publication: AM-STY-06044

Road Safety Inspections

Road Safety Inspection (RSI) is a safety procedure that was introduced by TII to comply with the EU Directive on Road Infrastructure Safety Management (EU RISM). The RSI process is described in in TII Publications under TII AM-STY-06044 Road Safety Inspection, previously known as HD 17.

RSI is a proactive approach to improving the safety of the existing national road network. The EU RISM directive defines RSI as “an ordinary periodical verification of the characteristics and defects that require maintenance work for reasons of safety”. These inspections identify any safety related items that require further review, and may potentially require a design solution. These inspections exclude routine maintenance items which are identified and remedied through other TII processes. Further information can be found in the TII AM-STY-06044 Road Safety Inspection standard. The guidelines for Road Safety Inspections can be viewed here.

Route Selection

RSI is carried out on all national roads, including tunnels. The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is inspected first. Each route is to be inspected at least once every five years.

RSI Team

The RSI teams consist of a team leader and at least one other team member.

Desktop Study

RSI teams will be provided with an inspection brief, and the collision rates for the National Road Network prior to undertaking the site visit. The information provided ensures the RSI team will have a sufficient understanding of the safety performance of a route before the inspection takes place.

Inspection

The function of TII is to oversee the inspection process. RSI is performed on a route by route basis. The RSI team drives the whole length of the route during the hours of both daylight and darkness. The team shall video and geotag the route inspection. The RSI teams inspect all other road elements and junctions, and 200m of all side roads leading up to the main route.

Report

An individual RSI report is prepared by the team for each route. The report includes a brief description of each safety issue. The RSI team carry out a risk assessment of each identified item, using collision modification factors. The final report is submitted to TII, and distributed to the relevant authorities for further review and implementation.