A "road safety audit" is best defined as:

A road safety audit is best defined as a structured process conducted by a team of qualified professionals that specifically focuses on safety aspects throughout the planning and design phases of a road project. This collaborative approach involves a detailed examination of a project with an emphasis on identifying potential safety issues and recommending improvements before the project is constructed. The audit incorporates diverse perspectives from various professionals, ensuring that multiple facets of safety are considered.

While other definitions touch on elements related to road safety, they do not encompass the comprehensive and systematic nature of an audit. Compliance checks with design standards are part of a different evaluation process and typically do not focus solely on safety. Similarly, a network screening process based on crash records relies primarily on historical data to identify problem areas rather than proactively assessing safety during the design phase. Lastly, methods for redesigning major reconstruction projects are more operational in nature and may not incorporate the structured team approach critical to a road safety audit. Therefore, the emphasis on a detailed and methodical examination with qualified professionals makes the correct definition indeed focused solely on safety, aligning perfectly with the essence of a road safety audit.