ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety Management System, Performance Recording, and Reporting

Lie, Anders; Tingvall, Claes · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-76505-7_26

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Summary

This chapter examines the role of ISO 39001, the international standard for road traffic safety (RTS) management systems, in shifting traffic safety responsibility from individual road users to organizations. Motivated by the Vision Zero philosophy and United Nations resolutions urging businesses to apply safe system principles to their entire value chains, the authors argue that organizations must systematically manage their impact on road safety. The paper positions ISO 39001 as a critical tool for organizations to define, measure, and improve their road safety footprint, aligning with global sustainability goals and the Stockholm Declaration. The authors analyze the structure and requirements of ISO 39001, which follows the high-level structure common to ISO management standards. Key components include defining the organizational context, establishing leadership commitment, and planning based on specific safety performance factors. These factors are categorized into exposure factors (e.g., traveled distance), final outcome factors (deaths and serious injuries), and intermediate factors (e.g., vehicle safety, driver fitness, road design). The standard requires organizations to map their interactions with the road transport system, including commuting, logistics, and third-party impacts, and to implement a plan-do-check-act cycle. This includes operational controls, emergency preparedness, performance evaluation through audits and incident investigations, and management reviews to ensure continual improvement. The findings highlight that ISO 39001 provides a framework for organizations to take responsibility for safety beyond their immediate employees, extending to contractors, customers, and the broader value chain. However, the authors note a significant limitation: the standard allows organizations to self-determine their ambition levels, meaning certification does not guarantee high safety performance. To address implementation challenges, particularly regarding data collection and value chain definition, the paper discusses the FIA Road Safety Index as a stepwise approach that builds on ISO 39001 to standardize sustainability reporting. The authors also emphasize the growing potential of technology, such as real-time vehicle monitoring and advanced driver assistance systems, to support compliance and quality assurance. The significance of this work lies in its advocacy for a systematic, evidence-based approach to organizational road safety. By integrating ISO 39001 into corporate strategies and public procurement, organizations can drive substantial improvements in traffic safety. The chapter concludes that as financial markets and regulatory bodies increasingly demand transparency regarding safety footprints, standardized management systems like ISO 39001 will become essential for demonstrating progress and ensuring that road traffic deaths and serious injuries are eliminated across global value chains.

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• traffic safety culture

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• Applied Guidance: standards test procedures