26 November 2019: The 89th Edition of the UNESCAP Transport and Communications Bulletin – Improving Road Safety, features iRAP’s paper ‘Star Rating for life-saving road improvements in India’. 

The Transport and Communication Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific is a peer-reviewed journal that is published once a year by the Transport Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).  This issue of the Bulletin focuses on the theme of “Improving Road Safety”.

Jean Todt – United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety provided the preface for this edition and highlights the following:

‘The Asia and Pacific region continues to be one of the most affected in regards to the number and rate of road traffic fatalities and serious injuries. I commend the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) for its dedication to improving road safety in this region. This bulletin presents several experiences and practices that have been adopted by some countries in the area and have contributed to reducing the number of road crashes.’

‘While many development issues are intractable, road crashes are not one of them. Solutions exist and must be applied. We should all learn from one another.’

The ‘Star Rating for life-saving road improvements in India’ paper (co-written by IndiaRAP’s Jigesh Bhavsar and Albin Tharakan, and iRAP’s Luke Rogers, Greg Smith and Rob McInerney) discusses two examples of road safety assessment of road section in Karnataka and Gujarat as part of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP). The assessment includes safety Star Ratings and cost and benefit estimates for safety treatment options along each road. The result shows investments in infrastructure safety countermeasures implemented in the road section in Karnataka led to a halving in road fatalities on the road. The paper argues that the improvement of safety Star Ratings of road to 3 or higher can greatly improve the safety of road, which can be a good model for other countries to follow.

We are thrilled to be included in this publication; sharing knowledge on how to improve the safety of a road, working towards safer road infrastructure and 3-star or better journeys for all road users worldwide.

Download the paper and the full bulletin here:

• UNESCAP website
• Star Rating for life-saving road improvements in India paper
• UNESCAP No 89 Improving Road Safety Bulletin

ESCAP is the regional development arm of the United Nations and serves as the main economic and social development centre for the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific. Its mandate is to foster cooperation among its 53 members and 9 associate members