Various road safety performance indicators (SPIs) have been proposed for different road safety research areas, mainly as regards driver behaviour (e.g. seat belt use, alcohol, drugs, etc.) and vehicles (e.g. passive safety); however, no SPIs for the road network and design have been developed. The objective of this research is the development of an SPI for the road network, to be used as a benchmark for cross-region comparisons. The developed SPI essentially makes a comparison of the existing road network to the theoretically required one, defined as one which meets some minimum requirements with respect to road safety. This paper presents a theoretical concept for the determination of this SPI as well as a translation of this theory into a practical method. Also, the method is applied in a number of pilot countries namely the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece and Israel. The results show that the SPI could be efficiently calculated in all countries, despite some differences in the data sources. In general, the calculated overall SPI scores were realistic and ranged from 81 to 94%, with the exception of Greece where the SPI was relatively lower (67%). However, the SPI should be considered as a first attempt to determine the safety level of the road network. The proposed method has some limitations and could be further improved. The paper presents directions for further research to further develop the SPI.@en

The objective of this research is to develop and test a framework for efficiency assessment of road safety measures and evaluate its use in decision‐making. An exhaustive review of standard methodologies and practices related to cost‐effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses is carried out for that purpose. Moreover, a number of case studies are performed, concerning the efficiency assessment of various road safety measures in different countries, covering different types of road safety measures (user‐, vehicle‐ or infrastructure‐oriented, policy or enforcement, etc.), ranging from national to local levels of implementation and including both ex ante and ex post evaluations. From the results conclusions are drawn on the efficiency of different road safety measures and the related determinants. Furthermore, the case studies reveal a number of methodology and data issues for which further research is required. The procedures and barriers involved in the use of efficiency assessment techniques at different levels of decision‐making are also highlighted by means of feedback received during and after the various case studies. On the basis of these results, a framework for the promotion, implementation and evaluation of efficiency assessment in road safety decision‐making is proposed. A particular set of recommendations is also presented regarding the treatment of barriers (fundamental, institutional or technical) within the efficiency assessment itself and the related decision‐making process.@en