iRAP partner impact in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

The Road Assessment Programme (RAP) is working with local partners to help not only save lives on Latin America and the Caribbean roads, but also promote healthy and sustainable forms of mobility such as walking and cycling, including through the use of Star Rating for Schools and Star Rating for Designs for safer school journeys and road designs.

Achieving Target 4 by 2030 in Latin America and the Caribbean stands to save over 31,400 lives a year and nearly 34.3 million deaths and serious injuries over 20 years, with an annual economic benefit of US$73.2 billion

Latest news from LAC

EPR Road Operators in Brazil launch a new initiative to assess and improve 40 schools

Image credit: Grupo EPR Original article: exame.com (in Portuguese) Schools located along highways managed by six EPR concessionaires will be assessed as part of a new program aimed at enhancing safety for students. With a strong commitment to advancing social...

Caribbean Conference Highlights Need to Scale Infrastructure Investment for Resilience

Morgan Fletcher, iRAP’s Operations Lead for Latin America and the Caribbean played a pivotal role at the inaugural Caribbean Sustainable Infrastructure Conference (CSIC) held from November 3 to 5 in Barbados. The event, organized by the Caribbean Development Bank...

Brazilian F1 star Bortoleto calls for action on safe school journeys

Original article by FIA Foundation A strong call for further commitment to ensure all children have safe school journeys has been issued in Sao Paulo ahead of the Brazil Grand Prix. Working together with the Automotive Association of Brazil (AAB) and the FIA, the FIA...

iRAP and LabTrans Extend Partnership

LabTrans Coordinator Wellington Repette, iRAP’s Global Project Director Julio Urzua,and FAPEU Project Manager Geraldo Morgado Fagundes Filho with the signed MOU Building on a decade-long partnership, the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), Federal...

Safer Roads Under the Spotlight at Traffic Chile

iRAP Global Projects Director Julio Urzua recently joined over 300 decisions-makers at Traffic Chile 2025 in Santiago, presenting a solutions focus to road infrastructure safety through use of the iRAP methodology and tools. The conference organised by Mutual de...

iRAP, LabTrans and the Brazil RAPs on Show at Paving 2025

iRAP, our Centre of Excellence LabTrans, and Brazil's Road Assessment Programmes (RAPs) were on show at Paving Expo 2025, Latin America's premier event for road and highway infrastructure and construction which took place from 23–25 September in São Paulo. Over 4,000...

Celebrating a Safer Future: The opening of a 3-star or better Industrial Bridge in Chile

Image credit: Aleatica This week, the President of Chile officially opened the Industrial Bridge in the Biobío region, a significant achievement in the country's infrastructure. With an investment of $250 million and a length of 6.4 kilometres, it is now the longest...

Shaping a New Road Safety Strategy for Honduras

Last week, iRAP's Safer Journeys Lead Edgar Zamora presented on improving the safety of road infrastructure for motorcyclists at the Policia Nacional Honduras Agenda IV Symposium, held in San Pedro Sula. Held from 3-5 September, the Symposium marked the final step...

World Bank and Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) supporting the safety of road infrastructure

The World Bank and Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) have been leaders in making use of the freely available iRAP methodology and tools to support road safety with countries around the world. iRAP has a long history of partnership with the World Bank and GRSF....

Results show 82% of national roads in Uruguay are 3-star or better

Original article published by Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) (in Spanish) The first presentation of results of Uruguay's national road network safety assessment, carried out using iRAP’s Methodology, was held at the Ministry of Transport and Public...

Projects driving road safety success and innovation

Showcasing a selecting of major projects that have occurred or are still active in the LAC over time. Led by various partners in LAC.

Logo	Description	More information
	2024 - Launched in 2019, the award-winning BrazilRAP programme, led by Brazil’s National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT), has assessed 6,412km of roads and designs and 38 schools, influencing the safety of nearly US$8 billion of life-saving infrastructure investment. A Star Rating assessment of Brazil’s national road network of 54,500 km was completed in 2022 and is informing an investment of BRL 18 billion to halve fatalities and serious injuries. In 2023, DNIT were announced as the Winner of the iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy, presented to the world’s best performing road authority eliminating high-risk roads.	Click here for more information
	2024 - The Government of Mexico, through the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) and iRAP announced the launch of MexiRAP to reduce high-risk highways in the country and reduce the 16,000 road deaths that occur annually. The development of MexiRAP builds on the more than 140,000 km of partner-led iRAP assessments that have already been completed in the country and have influenced the safety of US$250 million of road infrastructure investment.	Click here for more information
	2024 - The Government of São Paulo, through the DER (Department of Highways), an agency linked to the Secretariat of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics (Semil), and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), announced the launch of BrazilRAP São Paulo, aimed at evaluating and improving the safety of state highways. The first partnership of its kind signed by a state government (in Brazil and the world), the initiative will classify, using the iRAP methodology and tools applied in 126 countries, the degree of safety of São Paulo’s highways, serving as the basis for the São Paulo Road Safety Plan launched by the DER.	Click here for more information
	2024 - National assessment launches in Uruguay: An exciting iRAP project has officially launched in Montevideo, assessing Uruguay’s 8,700km road network and 54 schools, to identify and improve high-risk locations and safety for road users. The Minister of Transport and Public Works, José Luis Falero, along with the Undersecretary Juan José Olaizola and the National Director of Roads, Hernán Ciganda, launched the project to Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP) officials, media and local stakeholders to share the project plans. An estimated 447 people lose their lives each year in Uruguay due to road crashes, with a further 33,300 casualties. Road trauma costs the national economy US$2.6 billion annually (4.2% of GDP).	Click here for more information
	2024 - Building on efforts to prevent road crashes in school zones throughout Chile, Automóvil Club de Chile, in partnership with Buses Vule, has inaugurated a new school zone safety initiative in Lo Espejo and Puente Alto in 2024. This project is part of an ongoing plan to expand Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) assessments to create safer road environments for students nationwide. With the technical support of Conaset, the Colegio San Lucas in Lo Espejo and the Colegio Senda del Saber in Puente Alto were chosen for interventions. These schools are located near the terminals operated by the public transport company Buses Vule in Santiago. In the first half of 2024, safety measures implemented around Colegio San Lucas in Lo Espejo *significantly improved the school’s road environment from 1.9 star to a 4.6 star*. Improvements included the installation of new signage and road markings, flashing beacons, marked pedestrian crossings with refuges, speed calming measures, and the reduction of the speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h	Click here for more information
	2024 - Safer school zones in Bolivia: La Paz implements collaborative project for enhanced safety. The FIA Region IV, supported by the FIA Foundation, launched a new project in 2023 to enhance school zone safety in Latin America. This initiative focuses on training local authorities to use the SR4S tool, providing funding for safety improvements, and fostering collaboration between stakeholders. A prime example is the project in La Paz, Bolivia, where SR4S assessments are guiding targeted improvements at four schools to create safer environments for students.	Click here for more information
	2024 - Chile’s breathtakingly beautiful yet challenging southern transport corridors are getting a road safety overhaul. The Ministry of Public Works (MOP) contracted a consortium led by DDQ Engineering Consultants, along with APSA and iRAP, to conduct a comprehensive assessment across 1,907km of roads in the Magallanes, Aysén, and Los Lagos regions. Leveraging iRAP’s robust Star Rating Methodology, the recently completed study evaluated 53 routes traversing some of the world’s most remote and scenic landscapes. The findings have yielded prioritized Safer Roads Investment Plans to cost-effectively upgrade these vital connectors. The investment plans will guide MOP in making these routes safer for locals and visitors alike. Implementation is already underway, with 20 regional engineers completing comprehensive training to build long-term safety assessment and countermeasure capabilities.	Click here for more information

Where we work

Download a summary of iRAP partner activity in every LAC country here (filter for Latin America)

Policies into practice

Many countries are prioritising the safety of their road infrastructure by embedding 3-star or better safety targets in policy, aligned to UN Global Road Safety Performance Targets 3 and 4. A number of LAC countries have National Road Safety Strategies and Action Plans that include 3-star or better targets for safe road infrastructure.

Brazil: Federal roads to achieve a 3-star or better safety standard according to iRAP. Brazil’s concessions auctioning with 3-star or better metric for safety.
Brazil – Parana: Parana State Concessions 2030 Strategy – All concession roads to be a minimum 3-star safety rating by 2030 Nakuru, to identify high-risk road sections. Safer Road Investment Plans to be developed to prioritise evidence-based safety improvements and national capacity building to include a focus on the iRAP methodology and tools.
Brazil – São Paulo: 2024-2030 Plan for BrazilRAP São Paulo – Identify and prioritise improvement of high risk 1 and 2-star road sections using the iRAP Methodology and develop a web platform to monitor road conditions according to iRAP.
Cayman Islands: 2023-2038 National Road Safety Strategy – All new roads to meet a minimum 4-star iRAP rating and include adequate provision for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers of vehicles.
Peru: National Multisectoral Road Safety Policy – Implement iRAP assessments in urban and highway environments; increase percentage of local governments that implement safe school environments aligned to iRAP.

To view these policies, other global examples and sample infrastructure targets for inclusion, visit irap.org/policies-into-practice

How safe are LAC’s roads and the Business Case for Safer Roads

The iRAP Safety Insights Explorer shines a light on the true scale of road crashes, the safety of the world’s roads, and the positive impact that can be made with investment.