Original article and image – FIA Foundation

Growing collaboration between FIA automobile clubs and long-term FIA Foundation partner, iRAP, is creating safer streets worldwide through assessment and improvements to street infrastructure.

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for young people from the ages of five to 29. FIA automobile clubs are working with iRAP in local partnerships to understand and improve the safety of journeys to school. Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) is an evidence-based tool developed by iRAP for measuring, managing, and communicating the risk children face on the journey to school. It supports quick infrastructure interventions that save lives and prevent serious injuries from day one by improving infrastructure such as footpaths and crossings while slowing traffic speeds.

Clubs across the world are embracing the programme supported by the FIA School Assessment Toolkit and Road Safety Grants Programme, including: Automobile Club of Uruguay (ACU); Touring & Automobile Club de Colombia (ACC); Asociacion Automovilistica De Touring Y Deportes De Panama and Automovil Club de Guatemala; Slovenian Automobile and Motorcycle club (AMZS); Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM); Emergency Assist 991 Botswana; Mobilité Club Maroc (MCM); and Philippine National Auto Club (AAP). In addition, the Automobile Club of Chile (ACCHI) has announced it will use SR4S as a permanent programme as part of the Club’s social responsibilities policy.

A new annual €400,000 FIA Foundation fund for Star Rating for Schools, deployed as part of the Child Health Initiative Advocacy Hub, will be supporting FIA clubs in expanding and deepening their projects and advocacy for safe journeys to school.

Across more than 100 countries, iRAP is working with a range of clubs to support changes to make roads safer for drivers and vulnerable road users alike.

In Australasia, iRAP is working closely with a range of clubs: AAA Australia is a key partner of AusRAP with deep engagement by the road authorities; The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) is supporting safety monitoring and advocacy for the Bruce Highway, the longest highway route in Australia and a Brisbane City cycling study; Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) has been lobbying for reduced rural road speeds; while New Zealand Automobile Association (NZAA) has been working with KiwiRAP partners to support risk mapping of local authority road networks.

In Europe, the Automobile Club of the Czech Republic (UAMK) is partnering on a RADAR Pilot project examining the protection of vulnerable road users (VRU) on roads in cities, the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) is working on an innovative CycleRAP project, and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC Spain) is undertaking the first iRAP Star Rating assessment of Andorra’s primary road network and has performance tracked the safety of Spain’s network with over 18 years of risk mapping.

Elsewhere, clubs have been collaborating on road safety advocacy in Nepal and South Africa, in Ecuador ANETA is working on a new partnership with iRAP, while the National Automobile Club of Tunisia is collaborating with iRAP to conduct initial crash rate risk mapping and support the development of TunRAP.

In addition to the work with the mobility clubs, iRAP has been working with FIA Motorsport Safety to enhance safety on the track and off, with the partnership’s successes recently profiled in the FIA’s Motorsport Contribution to Health, Safety and the Environment Report.