Road safety verification

Road Safety verification by ASACERT is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Guidelines of Legislative Decree. 35/2011 – “Safety Management of Road Infrastructure” – following the methods and criteria outlined for conducting safety inspections of existing infrastructure.

Road safety verification is carried out by ASACERT’s experts based on the program of periodic inspections established by the Competent Body according to Art. 6 of the above decree and updated every two years in order to ensure adequate levels of safety.

Security inspection has the following purposes:

• Identify critical road infrastructure issues directly related to accident events
• Identify potential road infrastructure hazard factors that could result in high accident sites
• Identify the prioritization of infrastructure corrective interventions both to reduce the number and severity of accidents and to prevent further ones
• Keep the safety status of the road network under constant observation

The analysis conducted by the specially constituted Inspection Team provides a final report in which it is made explicit whether, as a result of the inspection, no critical issues emerge or, if not, whether measures, managerial or infrastructural, needed to improve the safety characteristics of the road section under consideration should be indicated.

Specifically, the inspection will be conducted by:

1. PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTATION ANALYSIS | The purpose of this service is to assess the energy consumption of the building-plant structure, identify improvement interventions to reduce energy costs, increase energy efficiency, and prepare a cost-benefit analysis for the identified interventions.
2. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS | The inspection on the road section is preceded by a meeting with the Operating Entity and the Competent Body, which undertake to provide ASACERT – in accordance with the provisions by Art. 7, c.1 of Legislative Decree. 35/2011 – information on the conditions of use of the road section and all preliminary data currently available, such as in particular:

• Cartographies
• Recent or upcoming interventions
• Traffic data
• Incident analysis and any incident reports

Detailed arrangements for access and inspection of the infrastructure section are also defined and agreed with the Managing Authority.

INSPECTION OF THE ROAD SECTION

The inspection is carried out by driving along the road section in both directions in different ways, varying according to the type and characteristics of the infrastructure. During the course of the Inspection, photographic and video surveys are carried out, with the support of the Managing Authority, using a vehicle equipped with appropriate technological systems in order to ensure georeferencing of the data collected.
The ASACERT Team of Inspectors arranges for the completion of the inspection forms as stipulated in Sec. 4.3.2 of the Guidelines of D. Lgs. 35/2011 and undertakes to prepare an inspection report containing data on specific items observed and nond covered in the sheet. The sheets, diversified by type of road, will also be structured according to the way and stages of the different types of inspections carried out and consisting mainly of:

• Widespread inspections of the entire homogeneous road section, day and night, including a preliminary phase aimed at learning the general problems and characteristics of the road section in relation to the entire network, morphology, and land use, and a general one to examine more thoroughly the safety problems distributed along the road section in question
• detailed point inspections, day and night, located on individual critical sites where a considerable number of accidents have occurred in proportion to traffic flow or are potentially critical, and on singular points of the route understood as intersections and other major interferences (tunnels, viaducts, etc.)

DRAFTING THE FINAL REPORT

Upon completion of the documentary and on-site analysis, ASACERT prepares a final report containing a description of all concentrated and widespread problems found throughout the road section and their degree of severity, as well as the identification of one or more possible applicable solutions.

The report is divided into:

1. Prescriptions: solutions to serious deficiencies related to non-compliance with primary design and management standards to be adopted and implemented by the Managing Entity upon specific request of the Competent Body
2. Recommendations: solutions that effectively contribute to safety improvement and require joint planning between the Managing Entity and the Competent Body
3. Directions: suggestions for easy implementation by the Managing Authority.