As part of the AusRAP initiative, the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) is the first jurisdiction to publish the road safety Star Ratings of its entire state and regional road networks, totaling some 35,000km of roads.

The results are part of a national commitment to publish AusRAP Star Ratings for all arterial roads by 2025 as part of the goal to ensure that 80% of travel takes place on roads with a 3-star rating or higher by 2030. The results show that more than 71% of travel in NSW is taken on state roads currently rated 3 or more stars for safety.

The Australian commitment exceeds the target recommended in the UN Global Plan for the Decade of Action on Road Safety, which encourages countries to ensure that at least 75% of travel occurs on roads rated 3-stars or better.

The results reflect investments that have recently been made in the safety of roads, including on the Oxley Highway where speed limit reductions, safer roadsides and safety barriers, better line marking and audio tactile lane markers (sometimes called ‘rumble strips’) resulted in significant improvements in Star Ratings and a 53% reduction in crashes including a 67% reduction in fatal motorcycle crashes.

However, with road trauma continuing at an unacceptable level, the Australian and NSW governments have committed to investing to improve the safety of roads. The NSW government has announced investments of AUD$2.8 billion in road safety projects across the state, and over two years the Australian-NSW Road Safety Program is improving an estimated 450 km of 1 and 2-star roads to at least 3 stars or greater.

The Star Rating results are based on surveys over the past 10 years and will be updated regularly to track the impact of ongoing safety investments.

The NSW AusRAP Map allows users to select individual roads to see their safety Star Rating, helping to inform prioritised investment in road upgrades and safer route choice

The publication of the Star Ratings builds on more than 20 years of safety assessments by the AusRAP initiative. AusRAP was introduced into Australia by the Australian Automobile Association in 2000, and responsibility for management of AusRAP was transferred to Austroads in 2021. In recent years, AAA has conducted a successful effort to encourage jurisdictions to improve transparency and make better use of road safety data, including calling for publication of AusRAP star ratings. It is anticipated that other jurisdictions in Australia will also publish Star Ratings of their networks, and this is being coordinated by Austroads.

In addition to Star Ratings focused on vehicle occupants, the iRAP methodology also enables jurisdictions to produce Star Ratings for motorcycles, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said: “While in NSW more than 71 per cent of all road travel taken on roads rated highly under the national standard, we know there is room to roll out more safety features on our roads. We’re using this information to take a serious look at our road network and then leverage the data to deliver evidence-based upgrades and safety improvements. You can’t fix what you don’t measure. This map shows us what’s working and where we can go further. It’s a vital step forward in making sure every region gets the safe, high-quality roads it deserves.”

Geoff Allan, Chief Executive, Austroads said: “Austroads commends Transport for NSW for publishing their AusRAP results. Road safety star ratings are a powerful tool to help road managers prioritise improvements that save the most lives as quickly as possible, while providing transparency for the community. As the national manager and coordinator of AusRAP, Austroads is looking forward to sharing results from other jurisdictions in the near future. The NSW results show strong progress towards the 2030 target of 80% of travel on 3-star or better roads. But that milestone is just one step on our journey. Achieving our long-term vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on Australian and New Zealand roads by 2050 will require continued commitment and action.”

Greg Smith, CEO, iRAP said: “We congratulate the NSW government and AusRAP program for their commitment to safety and transparency with the publication of this data.  NSW and AusRAP have demonstrated the enormous value of using the globally-recognized iRAP methodology and data to support community engagement in road safety, guide policy making, and shape investment decisions. While the results show good progress toward targets, road crashes that result in death and life-long suffering and disability continue to occur, placing a huge toll on families and communities. Improvements to risky sections of road are urgently needed and we look forward to NSW regularly updating its Star Ratings to track the impact of its planned safety investments.”

Case studies

Find out how AusRAP is being used to make NSW roads safer:

• AusRAP case study – Oxley Highway (PDF, 216.78 KB)
• AusRAP case study – Princes Highway (PDF, 233.3 KB)

For more information

•  Download the full media release here
• For more information on AusRAP, click here or contact Program Lead Keith Simmons on email ksimmons@austroads.gov.au