Your road to data-driven decisions

Many highway authorities routinely measure skid resistance on their key routes and carry out targeted improvements to reduce the risk of collisions. Typically, decisions about when and where to invest are guided by the research and approaches taken for national road networks. For local authorities, whose roads have different geometries, junction types, traffic speeds and traffic flow, the lack of evidence to support a risk-based approach posed a challenge for the effective management of their networks.

Now, under research funded by the Road Safety Trust, a prioritisation method has been developed to help local highway authorities identify the locations that will most benefit from treatment to improve skid resistance. The research has been carried out in collaboration with 19 local authorities and consisted of a desk study followed by a pilot implementation trial.
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Project summary
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See below for a summary of the research findings

The LASR approach
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The prioritisation method, known as the LASR (local authority skid resistance) approach, has been included in the October 2026 update to the Code of Practice - Well-managed Highway Infrastructure (see section B.5.4.15). Based on the evidence obtained from local roads during the desk study, it combines information about the road characteristics, skid resistance, traffic and collision history to produce a priority ranking for each location. It provides a practical and balanced approach to assessing risk, consistent with best practice in asset management.

A comparison for seven local authorities that trialled the LASR approach for their 2025 survey data found that LASR identified 70% fewer sites, prioritising those with greater potential to reduce wet collisions, compared with a traditional approach. The study also highlighted that there appears to be limited potential to reduce wet collisions by providing higher skid resistance for sites identified as junctions or crossings. Conversely, bends and gradients were more sensitive to changes in skid resistance, reinforcing the importance of maintaining good skid resistance in these locations. Both findings are consistent with the previous research.

Read the findings in more detail.‍

Image showing the cover of report called Prioritising local authority skid resistance: Pilot tial of the LASR approach

Putting it into practice

The current version of the methodology is v3.0
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An Excel template is available to help road authorities wanting to use the LASR v3.0 method to analyse their skid resistance data this autumn.

Download LASR v3 methodology Download LASR v3 Template

Any local authorities wishing to pilot or implement the method, or with an interest in exploring the use of connected vehicle data in the context of managing skid resistance, are invited to collaborate with the established local authority Steering Group. Please email enquiries@lasr-approach.org

Related investigations

An Analysis of Skid Resistance Investigatory Levels in Wiltshire

This recent study, conducted independently of the LASR research, has some useful insights that can inform how authorities select threshold values, either as part of the LASR method or within an alternative strategy for managing skid resistance

Exploiting the benefits of connected vehicle data for managing skid resistance

In a joint case study for London Borough of Ealing, Liverpool City Council and Telford & Wrekin Co-operative Council, XAIS-PTS have demonstrated a practical approach to apply crowdsourced braking event data to complement the LASR approach

Research findings

The headline findings of the research are:

Where a significant improvement in skid resistance was achieved, surface treatment was associated with a 38% reduction in wet collisions, compared with untreated comparison sites.
The reduction affects collisions on wet, rather than dry roads, as expected.
The reduction in wet collisions was greatest on the sites with lower initial skid resistance.
The high skid resistance thresholds for junctions, currently required by default in many local authority policies, are not supported by the evidence gathered in either phase of this research.
Treatments on bend/gradients were particularly effective.
The LASR method was found to be a practical and effective method of identifying lengths that can deliver safety benefits, with advantages over conventional methods.

Reports on the research can be downloaded here:

Phase 1 Desk study underpinning the LASR methodology

Phase 2 Pilot trial of the LASR approach

To find out more about the project or the LASR method please email enquiries@lasr-approach.org