The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) and the Aleatica Foundation for Road Safety have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together to reduce Mexico’s road injury burden through the organization of projects and programs to increase road safety.

The Aleatica Foundation for Road Safety is a non-profit, civil association in Mexico constituted by Aleatica, the global transport infrastructure operator that manages 20 road concessions in seven countries, nine urban highways, and seven interstate corridors, which together handle over 353 trillion vehicles annually. The company plans to invest 94.5 million euros in road safety projects over the next four years.

iRAP CEO Rob McInerney emphasized that according to WHO data, Mexico’s road fatalities number over 16,300 annually, with an additional 167,000 serious injuries.  In total, this issue costs Mexico between 1.8% and 3.5% of its annual GDP.

“Improving the safety of Mexico’s road infrastructure by 2030 has enormous potential – the saving of 1.2 million deaths and serious injuries over the 20-year life of road treatments and an economic benefit of $15 for every $1 spent.”

“iRAP and the Aleatica Foundation share a common goal which is to improve people’s lives by alleviating the social and economic effects of road accidents. We’re excited to commence our partnership today in fulfilment of the commitments and targets of the Global Plan of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Mr. McInerney said.

The MOU includes the development of projects and programs to make roads safer in Mexico through the application of globally recognized iRAP methodologies. This may include activities such as advocacy efforts with key stakeholders to drive demand for road safety standards aligned with Global Road Safety Targets 3 and 4; the development of research, innovation, and platforms to support industry adoption of best practices for the design, construction and operation of safer roads; training of Aleatica staff; and support for the establishment and implementation of a locally owned MexiRAP Programme.

David Diaz, Global CEO of Aleatica stated that “Road safety is a necessary condition to facilitate economic development and it is our top priority.”

“We are excited to commence our partnership with iRAP today to save lives and reduce serious injuries on Mexico’s roads,” Mr. Diaz added.

Estimated Number of Road Traffic Deaths. WHO, 2019.