Publication of the "Assessing the Maturity of National Road Safety Management Systems"

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) commissioned a study, as part of its work with member countries in South Asia, to develop and test a way of assessing the maturity of national road safety management systems. This paper describes the theoretical and analytical foundations of the resulting maturity assessment framework, how the framework was developed and applied, and how it can be used to support ADB operations and road safety improvement in developing member countries.

This study used the Safe System Approach as a theoretical foundation, which looks beyond individual road behavior and addresses the underlying environment affecting road user safety. With the elimination of serious road trauma as its ultimate goal, this approach seeks to address every element of the road traffic system (management, roads, vehicles, user, speed, and medical care) to eliminate death and injury—even though crashes may still occur—by controlling the energy of impact on the human body in the event of a crash.

In studying several member countries, the authors found that attention should be given to improving regulatory standards and compliance, developing and improving trauma prevention systems, and significantly increasing government investment and priority. The framework allows authorities to analyze and comprehensively develop national road safety efforts without undue focus on one particular aspect, and with the maturity assessment supporting the preparation of a suite of high-quality, strategically oriented road safety project options.

Access the full publication in ADB.org.