The Ten Steps to 2030 for Safer Road Infrastructure event, hosted by iRAP, in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF) and the World Road Association (PIARC), brought together global leaders, policymakers, and road safety experts on 17 February to explore the successful ten steps framework for safer roads. Held as a side event of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco, the event focused on how infrastructure can be a driving force behind the United Nations’ goal of halving road fatalities and injuries by 2030.

With overwhelming interest and thought-provoking discussions, the event highlighted the Ten Steps Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure as a practical roadmap for governments, in partnership with national and international stakeholders. Participants explored how this framework, addressing challenges in policy, design, and implementation, is critical to saving lives and improving road safety globally.

The event attracted 225 registrations from 64 countries and was livestreamed in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Arabic) with (at time of writing) more than 740 online views.

The Program and Speakers

The ten steps for safer road infrastructure were shared, along with project success stories and opportunities to build institutional capacity, partnerships and a regulatory framework through implementation of the ten steps in countries.

More than 30 speakers from 22 countries took to the stage including:

Susanna Zammataro
Director General
IRF

Susan Hipp
Executive Director, Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS)

Jamie Leather
Chief of Transport Sector Group, ADB

Peter Jamieson
Managing Director, Anditi

Dipan Bose
Senior Transport Specialist, World Bank

Steve Phillips
Secretary General, Conference of European Directors of Roads

About the Ten Steps for Safer Road Infrastructure

Developed by the UN Road Safety Collaboration, the Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure offers a structured approach to tackling road safety challenges. The plan targets high-risk roads through infrastructure upgrades, strengthens road safety expertise via capacity building, and advocates for evidence-based interventions based on crash data and risk assessment methodologies. To be successful, it requires political commitment, institutional capacity, and sustainable financing—three pillars that must underpin efforts to achieve the ambitious 2030 goals.

A shining example of the Ten Steps framework in action is Tanzania’s progress as the first pilot country for the initiative. Backed by the UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) and the Global Road Safety Facility, Tanzania made substantial progress over a 30-month period. This success earned the 2023 Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its remarkable impact, illustrating how the Ten Steps framework, supported by strong partnerships and political will, can transform road safety.

The Ten Steps framework is now extending its reach with active projects in Central Asia, Senegal and North and West Africa.

The event sessions explored key elements of the Plan that are crucial for advancing global road safety:

• Mobilising Impact with Effective Policy: iRAP’s Policies into Practice webpage shares nearly 50 examples of national and state road safety strategies and action plans that include iRAP key performance indicators for infrastructure safety.

• Mobilising Impact with Financing: By highlighting the safety performance of roads through star ratings and the associated business case for upgrades, iRAP tools (Safer Roads Investment Plans, Safety Insights Explorer, Impact Investment Case, help partners prioritize investments that meet the UN Targets and maximise lives saved per unit of investment.

• Safer Road Design: Star Rating for Designs enables road designers and engineers to assess and improve the safety of their road designs for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and vehicle occupants before construction commences.

• Capacity Building: Empowering professionals through training, such as through iRAP’s Training and Accreditation Program and the IRF’s International Registry of Road Safety Auditors.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Utilising tools like iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer, RAPTools, and the IRF World Road Statistics to assess risks and guide investments where they are needed most.

• Global Partnerships: reflected through iRAP’s Partnerships for 2030 Impact Strategy, and our work with 34,000 partners worldwide, partnerships are crucial in supporting road safety worldwide. Our Resources for 5-star RAPs is supporting the development of high impact Road Assessments Programs worldwide.
• Innovation and Technology: iRAP’s Innovation initiatives and projects, including AiRAP are changing how safety interventions are implemented.

Partnerships for 2030 Impact

During the event, iRAP signed MOUs with the Inter-American Development Bank extending our partnership for a further three years; and with the West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO) and African Road Maintenance Fund Association (ARMFA) to collaborate in eliminating high-risk roads across the African continent.

Hear iRAP Safer Journeys Lead for Africa Nathalie Chiavassa share the aims and importance of the WARSO and ARMFA partnerships moving forward:

Awarding the World’s Best Performing Road Authorities 

We also proudly announced the winner and finalists for the 2024 iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy, presented to the world’s best performing road authority/s eliminating high-risk roads. The perpetual iRAP Trophy honours the lifelong public-sector and transport contribution of the charity’s former Board Chairman Gary Liddle AO who passed away in 2023.

The winners were selected from 12 highly competitive nominations from 11 countries and included TANROADS for ‘Ten Step Plan Tanzania’ (Winner), Roads General Authority for ‘Safer Roads in Saudi Arabia’ (Shining Star), Himachal Pradesh Roads Infrastructure Development Corporation (HPRIDCL) for ‘Safer Roads in Himachal Pradesh, India’ (Shining Star), Municipality of Lima, Peru for ‘Enhancing School Zone Safety through the Colecaminos Program’ (Rising Star), and Main Roads Western Australia for the ‘Tonkin Highway Extension’ (Rising Star).

Read about the awards and winners here.

Watch the award ceremony here (from 6:13:40).

Video Shorts: Hear from Some of the Event Speakers

See the Event in Pictures

Images credit: Omar Bouzidi