The Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA) Road Research Centre is progressing a pilot Star Rating assessment as part of its partnership with iRAP towards establishing EthiopiaRAP and eliminating high-risk roads in the country.
The Transport and Road Safety Research Team within the ERA Road Research Centre is assessing the safety of one of ERA’s main road corridors, building the technical capacity needed to identify road safety risks and prioritise evidence-based infrastructure improvements.
The pilot forms part of a Three-Party Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June 2026 between ERA, the Road Safety Insurance Fund Service (RSIFS) and iRAP to eliminate high-risk roads in Ethiopia where more than 21,000 people lose their lives in road crashes each year (WHO 2021).
The team is undertaking a road survey, collecting video footage of the corridor and gathering supporting data, including traffic volumes for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as vehicle speed measurements. This information is being used to complete road attribute coding and generate iRAP Star Ratings, providing a systematic assessment of the road’s safety for different road user groups.
The work marks an important step towards establishing EthiopiaRAP and embedding internationally recognised, evidence-based road safety assessment practices into the country’s road planning and investment decisions.
The next stage will see the team generate Star Rating maps and develop a Safer Roads Investment Plan (SRIP) to identify cost-effective and prioritised road improvements to reduce road trauma and make journeys safer for all road users.
Tesfamicheal Chala, Road and Transport Engineer of the ERA Road Research Centre said, “I am very enthusiastic about the progress we are currently making and the steps we are undertaking towards safer roads for all road users in Ethiopia.”
iRAP looks forward to continuing its long-term collaboration with ERA, RSIFS and the Research Centre team to eliminate high-risk roads in the country.
According to iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer, achieving UN Target 4 for greater than 75% of travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users in Ethiopia by 2030 stands to save an estimated 9,385 lives each year and over 2 million fatalities and injuries over the 20-year life of road treatments with an economic benefit of US$2.2 billion – $11.80 for every $1 spent.
Read more about the partnership here.
Lead image credit: Tesfamichael Chala, ERA