Welcome to this PIARC (World Road Association) Guide

The new Road Safety Manual (RSM) is designed to help countries at every stage of infrastructure development to fulfill road safety objectives. 
 

It is aligned with key pillars for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030:

  • Pillar 1: Multimodal transport and land use planning;
  • Pillar 2: Safe Road Infrastrucure;
  • Pillar 4: Safe Road Use.

This comprehensive resource builds on the broad range of knowledge and experience provided by PIARC in the first edition. It includes new thinking on road safety and offers a clear argument on why adopting a Safe System approach is crucial for your country.

The Safe System approach aims for a more forgiving road system that takes human fallibility and vulnerability into account. Under the Safe System approach, everyone (public agencies, automobile manufacturers, road users, enforcement officials, and others) must share the responsibility for road safety outcomes.

Updated May 2025

The fourth edition of PIARC RSM is now available. It provides updates to each of the chapters by incorporating new information and details.

  • This RSM update reflects current and commonly accepted practices by updating relevant sections, chapters, calculators with content and tools from the more technical version of the RSM produced in 2003.
  • The manual has received updates to reference materials, and modifications to multiple chapters.
  • Six technical studies and five technical sheets have been updated and are available here.
  • Web-based calculators have been created and are available here. Links to the calculators can be found in the technical sheets and studies.

 

if this is your first visit

This manual provides several feathures to allow you to navigate more easily through its pages.

Search tool : if you type a term in the window situated next to the menu "Tools" and if you click then on the magnifying glass, all the locations where this term exists will automatically be listed. You will just have then to click on the choosen title to be automatically redirected towards this page. You can refine your search by clicking on the small white triangle which appears next to the search window (Typology, Chapters of the Manual, Date of publication).

Printing : if you click on the red icon PDF available in every main pages of chapter, you can dowload them in PDF's version.

Return at the top of page : click the white arrow in the right edge of the page.

Acronyms : acronyms are underlined by a blue intermittent line. If you maintain your pointer above, the meaning of this acronym will appear in a pop up.

Subscribe : if you wish to be warned of every modification of  the Manual or to have access to additional media materials, you just have to click on "Subscribe" in the window "Stay informed!" at the top of the homepage or at the bottom of all other pages.

An opinion or a comment : if you wish to contact the persons in charge of the Manual for an opinion or a comment, you just have to click on "Give us your feedback !" in the window situated at the bottom of the home page and then to complete the form.

Contact PIARC : if you wish to send a message to the PIARC General Secretary about the Manual in general or about the technical committee "Road Safety Manual" and its products, you just have to click on "Contact us" at the very bottom of any page then to complete the form.