Methods of estimating the cost of traffic safety equipment’s life cycle

In the article, the authors discuss the preliminary information necessary to determine the scope and direction of further research conducted within the project called “The influence of time and operating conditions on the durability and functionality of road safety elements”. The main objective of the project is to develop the concept of a method for optimizing the life cycle costs of road safety devices. The authors draw attention to the close connection between the decisions taken at the design stage and expenses incurred in the course of maintenance and the use of road safety devices, present the specificity of road infrastructure in terms of life cycle costs, discuss the components of the costs and give examples of the LCC analysis applied to the concrete barrier.