Safe arrival is the most important result of any trip. Southeast Michigan’s transportation system connects people with each other as well as jobs, schools, recreation, and other amenities. Unfortunately, with over 100,000 crashes annually, there are too many people who do not complete a trip with their property, health, or life intact.
Through the Road Safety Audit (RSA) Program, SEMCOG is working with local agencies across Southeast Michigan to study some of the locations with the greatest opportunity for improving safety, especially for the most vulnerable road users.
Brighton RSA Kick-off Meeting
RSAs are a formal safety performance examination of a roadway by an independent and multi-disciplinary audit team. The purpose of an RSA is to gather a team of professionals including engineering, maintenance, operations, enforcement, community advocates, and others to physically evaluate a site. The RSA allows these technical professionals, community members, and agencies to proactively engage in a conversation about road safety with the leadership of an independent party. The RSA team reviews recorded crash trends, or near-miss crash patterns, conducts field visits to observe traffic patterns, identifies crash risks for all roadway users, identifies the root causes of observed crashes, and identifies potential mitigation measures. RSAs can be used in any phase of project development: planning, preliminary engineering, design, and construction. They can also be used to retrofit existing locations.
Brighton RSA Field Review
RSAs consider all road users, account for human factors and road user capabilities, are documented in a formal report, and require a formal response from the road owner. See the eight steps for conducting an RSA below. The Federal Highway Administration identifies RSAs as a Proven Safety Countermeasure, with a safety benefit of 10-60% reduction in total crashes.
RSA 8-Step Process. Source: FHWA
2025 RSA Program Call for Projects
SEMCOG’s RSA program directly aligns with the actions of the region’s Transportation Safety Plan by providing needed resources to assess roadways and develop strategies to enhance their safety for all road users.
SEMCOG is now accepting applications until January 3 for the 2025 RSA Program. The following criteria will be considered as part of project prioritization and selection:
- Projects that promote holistic and regionally significant outcomes
- Address safety concerns at locations with a history of fatal and serious injury crashes
- Address safety concerns for vulnerable road users
- Address emerging safety concern areas
- Benefit underserved communities
- Geographic distribution
To help potential applicants, SEMCOG held a webinar on November 4 about the RSA Program call for projects. View the webinar recording to learn more about eligible projects and the application process. Also review the RSA Program webpage for more information, including Frequently Asked Questions.
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