Road safety management system

This document is intended to provide a general overview of road safety management systems. It describes where they fit within the government's Road Safety Strategy and it provides answers to the following questions. 

• What is a safety management system?
• What are the benefits of a safety management system?
• What will a safety management system contain?
• What is the Transport Agency doing to help?
• Where can I get supporting documents and related reports? 

What is a safety management system?

A safety management system (SMS)

• is a widely supported method of managing the road network to improve safety
• documents road safety strategies, policies, standards, procedures, staff expertise, management and audit systems of RCAs
• is an integral part of the overall management system for the road network.

Application of safety management systems throughout New Zealand was one of the key aspects of the government's Road Safety to 2010 strategy.

It is the fundamental means of achieving the vision of a greater degree of consistency in how the national road environment appears to road users.

The governments Safer Journeys strategy promotes a safe systems approach to road safety SMS is an integral part of this future direction.

The Transport Agency, local and central government are committed to a cooperative development and implementation of safety management systems. 

What are the benefits of a safety management system?

The considered view of the government is that the systematic approach to safety management of the road network offered by SMSs will in turn provide a number of benefits to RCAs and road users, such as:

• a SMS ensures safety is considered in decisions about construction, maintenance and management of the road network. This assists in the achievement of targets and goals identified in the national and local road safety strategies
• implementation of road management procedures will be consistent and efficient
• risk management is documented providing protection from litigation
• road safety knowledge and expertise needs are documented and can be made available
• the documentation provides clear guidance for all staff and can be used for training new employees
• development, review and auditing of the roading network are undertaken in systematic way
• better safety for all road users.

What will a safety management system contain?

A RCA’s safety management system contains:

• direction – the RCA’s road safety strategy
• delivery of the SMS – including:
• standards and guidelines for the hierarchy of the RCA’s roads
• the RCA’s requirement for expertise, qualifications and experience for staff roles and structure
• control – a management system with processes identified and responsibilities allocated
• review processes – a review/audit regime.

This is illustrated in the diagram below.

What is the Transport Agency doing to help?

A safety management system project is one of many initiatives Transport Agency is undertaking as its contribution to the government's Road Safety to 2010 strategy.

The project’s purpose is to promote the adoption of safety management systems by RCAs to ensure that decisions about construction, maintenance, management and operation of road networks consider safety and help achieve targets and goals identified in national and local road safety strategies.

More specifically we will continue to:

• promote the benefits of SMSs to RCA decision-makers
• provide guidelines that will assist RCAs develop and implement their SMS
• identify safety standards and guidelines for road design and management for inclusion in a RCA’s own SMS
• outline a model road safety strategy for use by RCAs if required for the development of their own SMS strategy
• provide assistance and advice to all RCAs developing and implementing their SMS
• conduct technical workshops with industry to develop and promote SMSs
• outline appropriate management and audit regimes for SMSs (training needs will also be identified in this area)
• develop the national classification system (NRCS) as the basis for managing the safety of the road network
• specify a network safety performance evaluation process to quantify the benefits of the SMS approach to road safety
• survey and assess the existing network with regard to design standards and traffic management practice
• develop procedures for monitoring the safety performance of the road network
• encourage the adoption of appropriate and consistently applied standards for each category of road hierarchy so we have a 'no surprises' road environment.