The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) has proudly announced Saudi Arabia’s Roads General Authority (RGA) as a “Shining Star” in the 2024 iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy in Marrakech today, presented to the world’s best performing road authority/s eliminating high-risk roads.

Presented during the Ten Steps to 2030 for Safer Road Infrastructure Side Event of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, the perpetual iRAP Trophy honours the lifelong public-sector and transport contribution of the charity’s former Board Chairman Gary Liddle AO who passed away in 2023.

Roads General Authority (RGA) is a regulatory authority under Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services (MOTLS) responsible for overseeing the kingdom’s construction, operation and maintenance of roads.

In 2023, the RGA undertook the world’s largest iRAP assessment of 73,000 kilometres of roads, providing Star Ratings and Safer Roads Investment Plans to inform life-saving improvements to rural roads across the kingdom. Capacity was built among local road safety experts and a locally led KSARAP Road Assessment Programme was launched.

In 2024, the RGA launched an ambitious plan to ensure that 90 per cent of the kingdom’s highway network achieves a 3-star or higher rating by 2030, surpassing targets outlined in the United Nations Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

A significant collaboration between the road safety and maintenance departments has seen US$120 million allocated to investment in recommended safety improvements to intersections, roadside barriers and road surfacing, along with the implementation of road shoulder rumble strips.

It is anticipated that an impressive eighty per cent (80%) of the roads will have met the 3-star or higher standard by the end of 2024. This achievement is expected to result in an estimated reduction of eighty fatalities and injuries on RGA’s network annually.

iRAP Global Program Director and Acting CEO Greg Smith said, “The RGA has demonstrated significant innovation in the impressive scale and implementation of its road safety projects, achieving remarkable safety outcomes. The Authority’s ambitious policy driven and data driven application of iRAP tools is optimising road safety for all road users. Dedicated investment and local leadership embedded in KSARAP is helping to promote sustainability and scale.”

Accepting the award on behalf of RGA, Mohammed Al Abood, Head, Traffic Engineering and Safety Department, Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services said, “We are very proud to receive the iRAP Gary Liddle “Shining Star” Trophy today. Use of the iRAP methodology and tools has enabled the RGA to target and scale evidence-based road safety improvements to the highest-risk corridors across the Kingdom. Our long-term commitment to achieve 90 per cent of the highway network at a 3-star or higher safety rating aligns to Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to reduce traffic fatalities by 50 per cent. Our ambitious KSARAP plan to exceed international targets demonstrates our unwavering ambition to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in road safety.”

The iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy was presented to TANROADS and four finalists during the Ten Steps to 2030 for Safer Road Infrastructure Event, a Side Event of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety on 17 February 2025. The winners were selected from 12 highly competitive nominations from 11 countries.

For more information:

• On the Trophy and 2024 winners, click here.
• On RGA’s Vision 2030 and KSARAP Plans for Safer Roads in the Kingdom road safety program, watch the video here and further information here.
• On the launch of KSARAP, a local road assessment programme for Saudi Arabia, led by the RGA, click here.

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Download the full media release here

Media enquiries:

For iRAP:
Judy Williams, Global Programme and Communications Manager
Email:   judy.williams@irap.org
Mob:     +61 400 782 204

For RGA:
Mohammed Al-Abood
Head of Traffic Engineering and Safety Department
Email:   eng.alobood@mot.gov.sa
Tel:        +966 055 533 7715