Delegates from motoring clubs, road authorities, development banks, universities and companies gathered in Mexico recently for the second iRAP Latin America and Caribbean Workshop.

To date, iRAP has been used by 15 countries in the region to assess more than 80,000km of roads. This rich set of data not only provides a strong foundation for investment in safety in each country, but also holds enormous potential for regional benchmarking.

The workshop discussed numerous exiting developments. Paraguay, for example, is committed to eliminating 1- and 2-star roads, while in Belize, iRAP is being integrated into the nation’s road maintenance planning and the capital works programme.

Click here to see more photos from the workshop.

Leading experts are collaborating to provide an ‘International Handbook of Road Safety’ to support the implementation of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The Handbook, coordinated by Monash University, the Commission for Global Road Safety and the University of Michigan, is being written by leading road safety, public health and regulatory scholars, along with leading figures from non-governmental organisations and industries, into a single volume. 

This book will serve as an important reference point for the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety which is due to be held in 2015, at the mid-point of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. It will highlight the importance of including road traffic injury prevention within the post-2015 development agenda, as an issue impacting on wider goals for health, poverty reduction, reducing carbon emissions and promoting social justice. 

The book is expected to be released in May 2014 to coincide with the third anniversary of the launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

AusRAP has assessed risk on almost 22,000km of national highways in Australia and identified opportunities to dramatically cut road trauma.

The report, produced by the AAA, finds that almost 40% of the national network is rated 1- or 2-star.  More than 60% per cent of the network surveyed falls within the 3- to 4-star ranges.

The AusRAP report also shows that an investment of just over $4.7 billion has the potential to more than halve the number of roads rated 1- and 2-stars  and prevent over 36,000 fatalities and serious injuries during a 20-year period. 

The Safer Roads Investment Plan, which would save $3.50 in crash costs for each $1 invested, includes countermeasures such as: safety barriers, skid resistance and protected turning lanes at intersections.

The AusRAP report was produced with financial assistance from the Australian Government and with support from the State and Territory road and transport authorities.

A new ANWB report finds that although the Netherlands is a world leader in road safety, additional efforts are needed in order to achieve the national target.

The report finds that most (62%) of the nation’s provincial roads are rated just 1- or 2-stars for vehicle occupants. This helps to explain why more than 25% of fatal crashes take place on provincial roads although together these roads account for only 6% of the total Dutch road network. 

Provincial roads are generally well managed and maintained but the combination of a high speed limit (80 km/h) and the profiles of these roads means that a great many of them are not suited to handling large traffic flows safely.

Numerous safety improvements are suggested in the report, such as safety barriers, street lights and rumble strips.

While the current report focuses on vehicle occupants, a second edition is planned which will examine the unique features of bicycling infrastructure in the Netherlands.

A new report published by ARRB Group examines issues that are thought to be preventing the uptake of ‘Safe System’ infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries.

The report is a summary of a workshop held in Bangkok, Thailand as part of the 2012 GRSP / iRAP Asia Pacific Workshop involving delegates from governments and road authorities around the Asia-Pacific region. The aims of the workshop were to raise awareness of Safe System infrastructure treatments, such roundabouts, safety barriers and pedestrian crossings, and explore factors impeding their implementation.

Although cost was often cited as an impediment, factors relating to design, user compliance and maintenance were also considered to be very important. 

The outcomes of the workshop will help road authorities, researchers and industry understand ways in which the uptake of highly effective infrastructure treatments can be accelerated. The information will also be used to update the Road Safety Toolkit. 

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Following the completion of road inspections by the ‘Orange Angel’ and the ‘Brazilian Angel’, assessments are now being carried out for more than 4,000km roads in the State of Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Initially, Star Ratings and Safer Roads Investment Plans will be produced for nine high-priority World Bank-financed corridors.

As part of the project’s capacity building and communications strategy, local stakeholders and World Bank representatives recently participated in a workshop on the iRAP methodology and expected outcomes of the project.

Hundreds of participants from around the world visited Beijing for the Road Safety on Four Continents (RS4C) conference, the 16th in the series.

ChinaRAP played a high-profile role at the conference, including by participating in “Sharing Road Safety – International Workshop in Scientific Safety Estimation” (co-sponsored by Research Institute of Highway of China, Beijing University of Technology, ITF/OECD, TRB, VTI) and the “Sharing solutions for transitioning economies” workshop (co-sponsored by GRSF and the World Bank). 

ChinaRAP is currently actively supporting government, World Bank and Asian Development Bank projects in Anhui, Guizhou, Henan, Liaoning, Shaanxi and Yunnan.

The event also provided the opportunity for high-level discussions with Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security officials.

I am delighted to announce that Gary Liddle, the Chief Executive of VicRoads (an Australian state government road agency), has joined the iRAP Board.

Gary’s and VicRoads’ efforts, including delivery of the billion-dollar Transport Accident Commission (TAC)-funded Safer Road Infrastructure Program, have helped make Victoria a world-leader in road safety. In 2012, Victoria achieved its lowest-ever number of road deaths (282 fatalities / 5 per 100,000 population).

Gary also brings a wealth of experience from his work with Austroads, ARRB Group, the World Road Association (PIARC) and REAAA.

When it comes to road infrastructure, lives are not saved until safety treatments are built. We can eliminate 1- and 2-star roads and celebrate the opening of new 4- and 5-star roads.

With large-scale safety programs already saving lives in Victoria, Gary’s practical experience will help guide our work globally as we partner with road authorities, development banks and auto-clubs to achieve our vision of a world free of high-risk roads.

Rob McInerney
CEO, iRAP 

The Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) and iRAP have signed a Centre of Excellence agreement, which will support efforts in the development of road infrastructure safety in Korea as well as in the international community.

Speaking at a special seminar, KOTI Pesident, Gyenchul Kim, said: “To achieve high performance on road safety, all road safety factors including road users, vehicles, and road infrastructure should be safer than now. We are showing a high level of seat belt usage compared to 20 years ago. We are also making vehicles which compete with the other safer cars around the globe. Now is the time to make road infrastructure safer in the world.”

KOTI joins four other iRAP Centres of Excellence: ARRB Group, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), TRL, MRIGLobal and the Instituto Mexicano del Transporte.