RECOMMENDATION 1:

Develop functional classifications and desired safety performance standards for each road user group at the geographic land-use and road corridor level.

• UN Targets 3 and 4 include ensuring all new roads are built to a 3-star or better standard for all road users (Target 3), and more than 75% of travel is on the equivalent of 3-star or better roads for all road users by 2030 (Target 4).
• Star Ratings provide an objective measure of the level of safety which is ‘built-in’ to the road for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
• iRAP’s Global Infrastructure KPIs provide clear measures for the achievement of the Targets for infrastructure, crash data, speed management and attribute performance, in terms of each road user group.
• iRAP and its partners have conducted over 1.3 million km of Star Rating assessments and 1.5 million km of Crash Risk Mapping in 104 countries informing Safer Road Investment Plans and Performance Tracking to maximise the safety of new and existing roads for all road users.
• Vaccines for Roads provides supporting information on the safety ratings of roads worldwide, the human impact of crashes and the business case for investment.
• IRAP metrics have been adopted and used by national governments, state and local governments, development banks, mobility clubs and the private sector. They are recommended for use by the United Nations, World Health Organisation, FIA Foundation and other leading institutions.

RECOMMENDATION 2:

Review and update legislation and local design standards that consider road function and the needs of all road users, and for specific zones.

iRAP and its partners developed resources that help show how roads can be built to achieve Star Rating targets. For example:

• The iRAP Star Ratings of NACTO-GDCI’s Global Street Design Guide and animations
• Asian Highway Design Standard for Road Safety and Guidelines
• Austroads Design Guides
• IndiaRAP represented on H-7 Road Safety and Design Committee
• Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF)  Road Safety Design Guide

RECOMMENDATION 3:

Specify a technical standard and star rating target for all designs linked to each road user, and the desired safety performance standard at that location. 

• Star Rating for Designs (SR4D) is a free tool and evidence-based programme of applications informed by the iRAP Methodology which enable objective measurement and improvement of the level of safety ‘built in’ to a road design for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists, before the commencement of civil works. SR4D supports the inclusion of Star Rating Targets in the tender process and will help countries achieve Target 3.
• The Star Rating Demonstrator is an interactive tool which enables road safety stakeholders to explore the relationship between road design elements and speed to achieve a 3-star or better safety experience for all road user groups.
• Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) is an evidence-based tool for measuring, managing and communicating the risk children are exposed to at spot locations on a journey to school and informs quick evidence-based interventions that save lives.

RECOMMENDATION 4:

Implement infrastructure treatments that ensure logical and intuitive compliance with the desired speed environment (e.g. 30 km/h urban centres; ≤ 80 km/h undivided rural roads; 100 km/h expressways). 

• The Road Safety Toolkit provides free information on the causes and prevention of road crashes that cause death and injury. It includes information on treatments, crash types, road users and management approaches and helps engineers, planners and policy makers develop safety plans for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians, bicyclists, heavy vehicle occupants and public transport users. (Update due late 2021)

RECOMMENDATION 5:

Undertake road safety audits on all sections of new roads (pre-feasibility through to detailed design) and complete assessments using independent and accredited experts to ensure a minimum standard of three stars or better for all road users.

• SR4D strengthens the road safety audit process, complementing it with an objective and repeatable qualification of road user risk.
• With ADB, iRAP is developing a CAREC Road Safety Engineering Manual that will show how audits and the iRAP methodology can be used together to save lives (due in 2022).
• iRAP’s Accreditation Programme has seen 155 expert suppliers accredited worldwide to perform road safety assessments to an independent and globally consistent standard and ensure a minimum standard of 3-star better for all road users is reached.

RECOMMENDATION 6:

Undertake crash-risk mapping (where crash data are reliable) and proactive safety assessments and inspections on the target network with a focus on relevant road user needs as appropriate.

• The iRAP methodology offers both reactive and proactive approaches to assessing safety on networks.
• The Crash Rate Risk Mapping protocol is based on actual crash data and offers a reactive approach to risk management. Star Ratings, Fatality and Serious Injury Estimations, and Safer Roads Investment Plans (SRIP) are part of a proactive approach to risk management – that is, they can be performed without reference to detailed crash data.
• The methodology, specifications, training and case studies are available online.

RECOMMENDATION 7:

Set a performance target for each road user based on the inspection results with clear measurable metrics at the road-attribute level (e.g. sidewalk provision).

• Following safety assessments, performance targets based on the iRAP methodology have been adopted and used by national governments, state and local governments, development banks, mobility clubs and the private sector. Examples include Malaysia, Australia, UK, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, New Zealand, and more.

MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT AND LANDUSE PLANNING

Multimodal transport and land-use planning is an important starting point for implementing a Safe System.

• By helping to ensure that road projects are fundamentally safe for all expected modes, abilities and journeys, the iRAP methodology and associated performance targets can play a critically important role in supporting investment in meeting demand for the safest, healthiest and cleanest modes of transport.
• CycleRAP is an easy, affordable and fast method of evaluating bicycling infrastructure for safety.
• With more than 70% of the global population expected to live in urban settings by 2030, we can aim for 5-star journeys for everyone in cities.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Capacity-building for road safety professionals should be given top priority. Training for professionals in allied fields (such as journalism) can be an effective means of strengthening advocacy and policy support for road safety efforts.

• iRAP’s Training Programme has seen over 38,000 people trained supporting introductory learnings, Postgraduate specialisation and Supplier Accreditation.
• iRAP content can be integrated into all road transport and land use planning training and education.

LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES 

Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) account for more than 90% of all road traffic deaths … achieving the Decade target will require increased attention and support to these countries. 

Multinational corporations operating in low- and middle-income countries should monitor the safety of their operations…

Through the establishment of regional networks and alliances, countries can increase their leverage…

Examples of iRAP support and partnerships to eliminate high-risk roads in LMIC countries:

• iRAP is supporting the World Bank GRSF Bloomberg Philanthropies for Global Road Safety Initiative from 2010-2025 which has dedicated $259 million over 12 years to implement interventions proven to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries in LMIC.
• iRAP and its partners have Star Rated over 710,000km of roads and designs and Risk Mapped 103,000km in LMIC. The safety of more than $USD$30 billion of infrastructure investment has been influenced.
• iRAP’s Training and Accreditation Grants for LMIC professionals is supporting 60 road safety professionals from low and lower-middle income countries to build their capability to use the iRAP methodology.
• Partnerships with multilateral development banks including the Inter-American Development Bank, European Investment Bank and Asian Development Bank are promoting programmes for safe and sustainable transport.

VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

Road infrastructure must be planned, designed, built and operated to enable multimodal mobility, including shared/public transport, and walking and cycling. It must eliminate or minimize risks for all road users, not just drivers, starting with the most vulnerable.

• Star Ratings quantify the level of safety ‘built in’ to the road for vulnerable bicyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists, not just vehicle occupants.
• Vaccines for Roads unlocks the potential of the world’s largest road infrastructure safety database to show how safe the world’s and individual countries’ roads are by road user group, the human and economic impact of injury, the road attributes that matter, the Business Case for 3-star or better roads for all road users worldwide and case studies of success. It is a valuable resource for partners working in countries to understand and improve vulnerable road user safety.

INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY FOR INNOVATION THAT SAVES LIVES

The physical and digital infrastructure needs for advanced driver assistance technologies and autonomous vehicles require specification. 

Adapting technologies for the Safe Systems – Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications can contribute to safer and more sustainable mobility.

Managing the technological revolution and its potential impact on road safety…

Increasing connectivity and other mobile technologies create new opportunities as well as challenges that require assessment and policies, regulations …

• The accelerated and intelligent collection and coding of road attribute data has the potential to reduce the time, cost and effort required to undertake road safety assessments and improve accuracy. AiRAP aims to capture advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, vision systems, LIDAR, telematics and other data sources to deliver critical information on road safety, crash performance and investment prioritisation for all road users, and provide a harmonised data platform for the benefit of all.
• The just-completed EuroRAP CEF SLAIN Project has explored the ‘’Road Infrastructure Requirements for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV)’’.
• The research report series “Roads That Cars Can Read” examines the relationship between road infrastructure and safety for conventional and increasingly-autonomous vehicles (AVs) and provides a framework for infrastructure safety investment.
• iRAP’s Innovation Framework provides the governance structures, partnerships and discipline for the development and operations of new products and services, modelling innovations and partnerships which use iRAP intelligence. It is overseen by the Global Technical Committee (GTC) reporting directly to the iRAP Board and is comprised of experts from leading road safety organisations and research agencies from around the world. It ensures that the latest road safety research is included and that the iRAP model is consistently applied.

STRATEGIC AND SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT

Longterm, sustainable investment is required for the development of safe road infrastructure as well as for interventions that can improve road safety. 

Road safety must be embedded in, and integral to, transport decision-making.

• iRAP considers more than 90 proven road improvement options to generate affordable and economically sound Safer Road Investment Plans that improve a road’s Star Ratings and will save lives.
• The iRAP Business Case for Safer Roads highlights the return on investment for improving road infrastructure safety to the 3-star or better global standard is at least $8 for every $1 invested.
• iRAP has been actively shaping the Impact Investment market for road safety through our Investing to Save Lives partnership with the FIA Foundation; the quantification of the Global Impact of Injuries, and our Global Business Case for Impact Investors.
• Partnerships such as the FIA School Assessment Programme Grants are funding evidence-based infrastructure improvements to school zones informed by SR4S.

YOUTH INCLUSION

Young people play an important role in shaping the future transport system as the age group most affected by road trauma and the generation that will inherit the outcomes of decisions. As such they should be asked about their needs, and to help shape the system and generate ideas on how to better protect some of the most vulnerable.

Meaningful engagement with young leaders can help foster greater ownership of the road safety issue as well as develop a new cohort of road safety advocates with a fresh perspective on the future of mobility.

• iRAP’s Star Rating for Schools Programme (SR4S) is making school journeys safer for young people worldwide.
• SR4S Coordinator Rafaela Machado is a Youth Delegate of UNITE 2030, one of 100 young global changemakers providing the youth voice as participants in the United Nations General Assembly, Global Goals Week and the Youth SDG Summit.
• The YOURS, FedEx and iRAP Youth Stars Programme has seen Master Youth Trainers from around the world trained to support safer school and university journeys in their countries.

GENDER INCLUSION

A gender perspective must be prioritised. For example, more women must be involved in the transport sector and its processes as decision-makers, engineers and designers …

• iRAP’s International Women in Engineering Day Grant Scheme is building the capacity of female engineers to assess and design safer roads.