A Road Safety Engineer inspects facilities, machinery, safety equipment, or products to identify and recommend corrective action for potential hazards.
They investigate the cause of industrial accidents or injuries. They also direct the installation of safety devices and create new or review existing employee safety programs and recommend improvements.
We asked David Rogers JP, B.Eng (Hons), MICE, FCHIT, FIHE, MSoRSA about his career as a Road Safety Engineer
As a Chartered Civil Engineer with over twenty-five years of experience in highway design and construction, my professional journey has always been rooted in creating functional, safe, and accessible infrastructure. However, being partially disabled myself, I’ve become acutely aware of the challenges faced by disabled users on our roads and footways. This personal perspective has deepened my concern for how often the needs of all categories of disabled users are overlooked in the highway network. My interest in road safety engineering was sparked quite unexpectedly when I was approached by a consultancy to undertake road safety audits. What began as a chance opportunity soon turned into a pivotal moment in my career as I recognised the critical importance of this work.
If I’m undertaking a design stage audit, my day typically starts by gathering and reviewing all relevant documentation. This includes engineering drawings, traffic data, collision statistics (where available), and any supporting design reports. I then conduct a meticulous review of the design to identify potential hazards or elements that could pose a risk to road users. Key aspects include: Sightline distances; Junction and roundabout layouts; Vehicle swept paths; Pedestrian and cycle route connectivity; Crossing points and intervisibility; Street lighting and carriageway drainage; Road markings and signage; Gradient and surface levels on both roads and footways.
A particular focus of my audits is to ensure safe and equitable access for all users, especially those with visual or physical impairments. I interrogate Personal Injury Accident (PIA) data, examining whether historical collision records reveal clusters or patterns that may signal risks in the existing highway layout.
Depending on the complexity of the scheme and the number of drawings involved, a single audit can take the better part of a full working day. Up-to-date knowledge of current highway design standards and road safety guidance is critical at every stage. The detailed Road Safety Audit Report is then submitted to the client and the highway authority.
One of my most rewarding projects involved the forensic investigation of a fatal motorcycle accident on the A229 near Cranbrook, Kent. The motorcyclist had been travelling along the nearside edge of the carriageway, where a recent haunch repair had been carried out using cold planings. He lost control, veered off the road, and collided with a tree. Examination revealed that the surface of the haunch had broken up, contributing to the loss of control. The use of cold planings in highway maintenance, particulary in haunch repairs, is a common practice, in the UK. However, this case required determining why the material had failed.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officlials (AASHO) had produced detailed reports of problems using cold planings in highway construction. These reports pointed to the probable cause of this accident. Research showed that in this instance, the cold planings were of mixed size, age, and most critically, had inconsistent binder content. The material had been stored for a prolonged period in an open yard, exposed to weather—especially rain. It became evident that rainfall had washed binder from stored planings, leaving them with insufficient cohesion when reused. The AASHO reports predicted that use of such materials could result in carriageway failure. My investigation concluded that binder-depleted cold planings had led to a weak, unstable surface, which ultimately debrided under use. This loss of surface integrity directly contributed to the motorcyclist losing control and leaving the carriageway, resulting in a tragic outcome. This investigation led to a change in storage practices, which undoubtedly saved lives.
As transport infrastructure evolves to meet sustainability goals, the role of road safety engineering becomes increasingly critical. As a road safety engineer, I have to ensure that sustainable transport systems are also safe, inclusive, and resilient.
My contribution is multi-faceted. I seek to ensure that:
A sustainable transport system is not inherently safe. It must be engineered to be safe using a systems approach that balances environmental targets with practical risk reduction. Road safety engineers are tasked not only with facilitating mobility but with ensuring that mobility does not come at the cost of safety or accessibility.
The future of transport lies in integration—but that integration must be smart, equitable, and above all, safe. Road safety engineering must not be viewed as a post-design audit function, but rather as a core discipline, embedded from the earliest stages of planning and design.
One of the most persistent misconceptions I’ve encountered is the belief that road safety and transportation engineering are peripheral or even secondary to “mainstream” highway design. Too often, the discipline is viewed as a career backwater—something procedural or bureaucratic, rather than technical, analytical, or creative.
Many designers see the Road Safety Audit process as a box-ticking exercise, simply a hurdle to satisfy the requirements of the highway authority. This perception couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, effective road safety engineering demands a high level of technical expertise, practical experience, and up-to-date knowledge of evolving standards.
There is limited appreciation of the complexity involved in assessing safety risks for all road users, including vulnerable groups such as children, cyclists, the elderly, and disabled people. A good road safety engineer must not only understand traffic patterns and design geometry but also behavioural tendencies, human factors, visibility constraints, accident histories, and how subtle design decisions can dramatically affect user outcomes.
Ultimately, road safety engineering is not just about compliance; it’s about responsibility. It plays a critical role in reducing injuries and saving lives. The lack of recognition and understanding of what is a core discipline by the wider engineering community is unfortunate, and it underscores the need for greater awareness and respect for this vital field.
Over the last decade, we have witnessed a fundamental shift in patterns of personal transport—particularly in urban areas. The dominance of the private car is slowly giving way to more compact, flexible, and sustainable alternatives. Micromobility—including e-bikes, e-scooters, and similar small electric vehicles is rapidly emerging as the transport mode of the choice for short to medium journeys.
For physically active users, these options offer convenience and cost savings. However, for less active or mobility-impaired individuals, this shift presents real dangers. These vehicles are typically silent, offering no audible warning of their approach. This increases the risk of collisions, particularly with visually impaired, elderly, or otherwise non-mobile users. On some European streets it is common to see e-scooters travelling at high speeds, often carrying more than one rider, and weaving through pedestrian zones with little regard for signals or signage.
Without proper regulation, micromobility can become a hazard rather than a benefit. The challenge for road safety engineers will be to ensure that these transport modes are properly controlled, managed, and integrated into the highway network in a way that is safe and equitable for all users, not just the agile and able-bodied. Clear policies and enforceable standards must be part of this evolving landscape. Safety and accessibility must not be sacrificed in the name of innovation.
The sector is rightly becoming more inclusive, welcoming individuals from a wider range of professional backgrounds. While this brings fresh perspectives and can foster innovation, there is a concern that those without a core background in highway engineering may lack the depth of technical understanding required for comprehensive road safety assessments and audits.
Increasingly, these processes risk becoming procedural “tick-box” exercises rather than critical evaluations grounded in engineering judgement and real-world experience. This shift could dilute the quality and rigour of professional input, potentially compromising the effectiveness of safety interventions
If you are contemplating a career in road safety engineering, my advice is simple: go for it, but go with your eyes open.
This is a field that often flies under the radar in civil engineering circles. It does not carry the prestige of a major infrastructure design or the allure of a high-profile transport scheme. Yet, its impact is immediate, measurable and often lifesaving.
Road safety engineering offers a rare combination of technical complexity, analytical thinking, real-world human impact and exposure to innovation. To succeed you will need curiosity and diligence, a strong foundation in design principles, empathy and a commitment to staying current. Road safety engineering is not just a compliance exercise. It is a discipline grounded in prevention, foresight and public duty.
If you want a career where your decisions truly matter, this is a path worth taking.
