1. Member States shall ensure that a network-wide road safety assessment is carried out on the entire road network in operation covered by this Directive.
2. Network-wide road safety assessments shall evaluate accident and impact severity risk, based on:
(a) primarily, a visual examination, either on site or by electronic means, of the design characteristics of the road (in-built safety); and
(b) an analysis of sections of the road network which have been in operation for more than three years and upon which a large number of serious accidents in proportion to the traffic flow have occurred.
3. Member States shall ensure that the first network-wide road safety assessment is carried out by 2024 at the latest. Subsequent network-wide road safety assessments shall be sufficiently frequent in order to ensure adequate safety levels, but in any case shall be carried out at least every five years.
4. In carrying out the network-wide road safety assessment, Member States may take into account the indicative elements set out in Annex III.
5. The Commission shall provide guidance on the methodology for carrying out systematic network-wide road safety assessments and safety ratings.
6. On the basis of the results of the assessment referred to in paragraph 1, and for the purpose of prioritisation of needs for further action, Member States shall classify all sections of the road network in no fewer than three categories according to their level of safety.]