Road safety remains one of the most important priorities in highway planning, design, and infrastructure management across the United Kingdom. Every new road project, junction upgrade, traffic management scheme, or active travel facility must undergo rigorous safety assessment before being opened to the public.
To support this objective, the UK follows GG 119 – Road Safety Audit, a key standard within the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB). GG 119 establishes a structured and independent process for identifying potential road safety issues throughout the lifecycle of highway projects.
As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” Road Safety Audits help identify hazards before they contribute to collisions, ensuring safer roads for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and all vulnerable road users.
Modern technologies such as AI road safety audits UK, advanced imaging systems, and digital inspection platforms are now helping authorities enhance audit accuracy while supporting compliance with evolving highway safety standards.
GG 119 is the UK standard that defines the requirements and procedures for conducting Road Safety Audits (RSA) on highway schemes.
The purpose of an RSA is not to check engineering compliance or design standards. Instead, it focuses specifically on identifying potential road safety concerns that could increase the likelihood or severity of collisions once the scheme becomes operational.
The audit process provides an independent review of highway projects and recommends measures to reduce safety risks before and after construction.
Road Safety Audits provide significant benefits throughout the highway project lifecycle.
They help authorities:
With increasing traffic volumes and more complex transportation systems, AI roadway risk assessment platforms are becoming valuable tools for supporting proactive safety management.
GG 119 applies to a wide range of highway schemes across the United Kingdom, including:
The standard also supports requirements associated with the Trans-European Road Network (TERN) and broader road safety obligations.
GG 119 establishes four formal audit stages that correspond to different phases of project development.
The first audit occurs during the preliminary design stage.
At this point, auditors evaluate:
The objective is to identify safety issues early when design modifications are easier and less expensive to implement.
Modern AI traffic safety analytics solutions can assist by analysing historical collision patterns and identifying high-risk design elements.
Stage 2 takes place once detailed design has been completed but before construction begins.
The audit focuses on:
This stage ensures that detailed design decisions do not introduce unforeseen safety risks.
Stage 3 occurs immediately after construction is completed and before the scheme is fully operational.
The audit team conducts on-site inspections to verify:
Many authorities now supplement site inspections using computer vision road inspection technologies that rapidly identify inconsistencies and safety concerns.
Stage 4 takes place approximately 12 months after the scheme opens to traffic.
This stage evaluates:
The audit helps determine whether additional interventions are required based on actual operational experience.
The growing adoption of AI highway safety monitoring systems allows authorities to continuously monitor network performance and detect emerging hazards in near real time.
One of the most important principles of GG 119 is auditor independence.
The audit team must be separate from the design and construction teams responsible for the project.
A typical RSA team includes:
The Team Leader is responsible for managing the audit process and preparing the final report.
They must possess significant experience in road safety engineering and auditing.
The Team Member supports the audit review and contributes specialist safety expertise.
Observers may participate for training purposes under supervision.
Where required, additional specialists may provide expertise in areas such as:
GG 119 follows a structured methodology to ensure consistency and objectivity.
The project sponsor provides key information including:
Auditors visit the project location during various conditions including:
These inspections help identify risks that may not be visible on drawings alone.
The audit team reviews the scheme from the perspective of all road users and documents potential hazards.
Increasingly, AI road hazard detection systems are being used alongside traditional inspections to improve identification accuracy.
The audit report provides practical recommendations for reducing identified risks.
The design team reviews the recommendations and explains how each issue will be addressed.
The overseeing organisation evaluates both the audit findings and designer responses before approving the project.
Road safety auditing is increasingly supported by advanced digital technologies.
Emerging innovations include:
These technologies support AI automated infrastructure inspection by enabling continuous monitoring of road conditions, signage visibility, traffic behaviour, and safety performance.
As transportation systems become more connected, AI road safety compliance tools are expected to play an increasingly important role in maintaining safer highways.
Effective implementation of GG 119 delivers several long-term advantages:
When combined with modern digital assessment tools, road authorities can create more resilient and safer transportation networks.
GG 119 provides a comprehensive framework for identifying and mitigating road safety risks throughout the lifecycle of highway projects in the United Kingdom.
By incorporating independent reviews at multiple stages of project delivery, Road Safety Audits help ensure that roads are designed, constructed, and operated with safety as a primary consideration.
Today, digital technologies are transforming the auditing process. Solutions powered by artificial intelligence, computer vision, and advanced analytics are enhancing hazard detection, supporting evidence-based decision-making, and improving overall highway safety outcomes.
Road safety is not achieved through compliance alone—it is achieved through continuous assessment, proactive risk management, and the commitment to creating safer roads for everyone.
RoadVision AI helps transportation agencies modernize road safety assessment through advanced AI-powered infrastructure intelligence solutions.
Key capabilities include:
Using artificial intelligence, computer vision, and digital asset intelligence, RoadVision AI enables early detection of roadway hazards, supports compliance with international safety standards, improves audit efficiency, and helps agencies build safer and more resilient transportation networks.
GG 119 provides a structured process for identifying and reducing potential road safety risks during the planning, design, construction, and operation of highway schemes.
No. A Road Safety Audit focuses specifically on road user safety risks and is independent of engineering design compliance checks.
Artificial intelligence can support hazard detection, infrastructure inspection, traffic behaviour analysis, and risk forecasting, helping authorities conduct more efficient and data-driven road safety assessments.
The Autonomous Road Engineer
AI that is transforming road infrastructure, from reactive to predictive.
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