From the AusRAP Road Assessment Programme, to AI-powered safer school journeys in Vietnam, and safer school zones reaching hundreds of thousands of students in Peru, we celebrate the iRAP partners recognised at ARSC2026 in Sydney for their award-winning efforts eliminating high-risk roads.
Several awards were issued to iRAP partners during this year’s Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) in Sydney from 26-29 October. Their achievements showcase the power of collaboration, innovation and evidence-based road safety action, empowered by the iRAP and Star Rating for Schools methodologies.
Austroads – ACRS Excellence in Road Safety Award
Austroads took home the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) Excellence in Road Safety Award, recognising their AusRAP leadership and world-leading work advancing safer roads across Australia.
At the centre of AusRAP is the National AusRAP Dashboard which brings together road Star Ratings, crash history and traffic volumes for over 70,000km of major roads in a single national view. The data are helping governments target road safety investment and upgrades where they have the greatest potential to save lives and reduce serious injuries, and informing motorists on safest route choice.
The recognition is a testament to Australia’s leadership in road safety assessment and the value of sustained collaboration between road authorities, practitioners and road safety partners.
We congratulate Austroads and Geoff Allan, Michael Nieuwesteeg, Keith Simmons, Alan Rushworth, David Randall and Ekaterina Kologrivova for this well-deserved recognition.
Ministry of Transport and Communications of Peru – ACRS Excellence in Road Safety Highly Commended Award
The Road Safety Directorate of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Peru (MTC) was awarded the ACRS Excellence in Road Safety Highly Commended Award.
In Peru, the MTC is demonstrating the transformative potential of iRAP’s Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) programme at national scale.
Initially supporting 52 municipalities to deliver 925 safer school zones, the programme has benefited more than 700,000 students. The initiative has since expanded to 141 municipalities, with the approach also being adapted for application around health centres.
This is an important example of how a consistent, evidence-based approach to assessing and improving road infrastructure can be scaled to protect people in the places where they are most vulnerable.
Through SR4S, road safety risks around schools can be measured, improvements prioritised and the impact of infrastructure interventions monitored, helping communities create safer environments for children and families.
We congratulate Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications and all participating municipalities and partners on this impressive progress.
AIP Foundation & AI&Me: Best Submission Award
AIP Foundation and the pioneering AI&Me Project received the conference’s Best Submission Award for the second time.
In Vietnam, the AI&Me initiative is led by AIP Foundation in partnership with iRAP, Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) and local government partners, with support from Fondation Botnar, FIA Foundation, and Google.org.
AI&Me is bringing together artificial intelligence, Big Data, iRAP’s Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) methodology and the Youth Engagement App to turn data and young people’s voices into action.
The initiative is helping identify road safety risks around schools, understand the experiences and concerns of young people and support targeted improvements for safer journeys to school.
By connecting innovative technology with the lived experiences of children and young people, AI&Me demonstrates the potential for data-driven and youth-led approaches to accelerate road safety improvements.
We congratulate AIP Foundation, Linh Nguyen and all programme partners on their leadership and commitment to protecting young road users.
Fritha Argus: Young Leaders Oration Award
iRAP also congratulates Fritha Argus, Road Safety Research and Evaluation Manager at Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) on receiving the ACRS Young Leaders Oration Award.
Fritha was instrumental to MRWA and Anditi’s project to undertake the world’s largest AiRAP assessment on around 19,000km of Western Australian roads. The innovative use of accelerated and intelligent coding of road attributes using LiDAR and imagery data has transformed the speed, accuracy and access to Star Rating and related asset management data for all staff across the agency.
Fritha’s leadership, innovation and drive to turn ideas into meaningful action exemplify the next generation of road safety leadership.
Global collaboration driving safer roads
From national road assessment programmes to innovative school safety initiatives, these achievements reflect the diversity and strength of iRAP’s global network.
They demonstrate what is possible when governments, road authorities, civil society, the private sector, researchers and young people work together, combining evidence, innovation and local leadership to make road safety improvements happen.
iRAP is proud to support and be associated with these outstanding partners and their contributions to a world free of high-risk roads.