Select Page

Latest News

Fatality-free roads of the future

Fatality-free roads of the future

Vehicle and road infrastructure experts recently explored how technologies from their fields will ‘work together’ to prevent common types of vehicle and motorcycle crashes and those involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

Participants in the workshop, which was hosted by RACV in Melbourne, Australia, also considered the challenge of preventing crashes involving the rapidly growing ‘e-bike’ fleet in many parts of the world.

Although advanced V2V and V2I technology which may lead to ‘self-driving’ cars was cited as having enormous potential, there was also a focus was on the safety gains of rapid, wide-scale deployment of already-proven technology and techniques, especially in rapidly developing countries. 

Examples considered include: emergency brake assist which helps drivers to quickly slow their car, flexible safety barriers that are highly-effective at dissipating energy and innovative forms of head-protection for bicyclists.

The workshop was developed by iRAP and GNCAP, and built on the Roads That Cars Can Read Initiative. ARRB Group is currently producing a Research Report that will document proceedings.

read more
Standard TOR and technical specifications

Standard TOR and technical specifications

Standard iRAP technical specifications, guides and manuals, which can be used in procurement and management of iRAP-specification activities, are available online.

The documents include a standard Terms of Reference (TOR) that can be downloaded and edited to form the basis of a project plan and/or used in the process of engaging consultants to deliver services.

The documents also include specifications on road inspections, Star Rating and Safer Roads Investment Plan analyses and Risk Map analyses using crash data.

The specifications are accompanied by a growing list of consultants and firms capable of bidding for and delivering iRAP-specification projects. The specifications also enable consultants and firms that have not previously undertaken iRAP-specific activities to gain ‘accreditation’ during project delivery.

read more
‘Safe Schools’ project in South Africa

‘Safe Schools’ project in South Africa

The granddaughter of Nelson Mandela and global road safety campaigner, Zoleka Mandela led the launch of the first Safe Schools project in South Africa.

The project is a pioneering approach, introducing safe road infrastructure to protect school children, combined with road safety education and awareness for children and teachers from Takalani Sesame and Childsafe.

The initial iRAP assessment conducted with the City of Cape Town found that 77% of the roads around Sivile Primary School are in the highest-risk 1- and 2-star categories for pedestrians. 

The project is primarily funded with a donation from Decade of Action global corporate supporter Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson company. Additional financing and technical support for the project was provided by WorleyParsons, IVECO, and the FIA Foundation. The Medical Research Council is coordinating the monitoring and evaluation of the project.

read more
SENSOR features in European Road Safety Day

SENSOR features in European Road Safety Day

The European Commission, in cooperation with the Greek EU Presidency, hosted European Road Safety Day in Athens on 9 May 2014. 

Vice-President Siim Kallas, Commissioner for transport, said: “The EU has an outstanding road safety record in global comparison. But as long as there are fatal accidents on our roads, we cannot afford to be complacent. This year, it is time to look at the roads and the infrastructure. There is great potential in making EU roads both safer and smarter.”

Make Roads Safe Hellas participated in the event, illustrating recent progress made on SENSOR, which brings together 14 countries to assess roads and identify life-saving engineering improvements. 

SENSOR builds on an EU success story, the adoption of basic safety principles for management of the trans-European road transport network: safety inspections, mapping of the most dangerous road stretches and safety impact assessments before the building of new roads. 

read more
International Road Safety Award

International Road Safety Award

The Prince Michael Award recognises iRAP’s efforts to scale-up action on road infrastructure safety and tackle the global epidemic of road traffic injuries.

More than 70 countries have made use of iRAP tools to assess their roads and in developing countries alone, the tools are being used in projects worth more than $7 billion.

The award was presented during the Decade of Action Policy and Donor Forum in Melbourne, Australia. During the Forum Global Road Safety Ambassador, Michelle Yeoh, appealed for the inclusion of road safety in new global development goals, encouraging everyone to vote for ‘better roads and transport’ in the UN’s global My World survey.

read more
Safety demonstration project in the Philippines

Safety demonstration project in the Philippines

A trip to the beautiful ‘City of Pines’ is about to become safer thanks to road safety improvements being planned by DPWH.

The road that climbs up to the mountain-top city is among the nation’s most scenic, yet it is also the scene of numerous serious road crashes.  In July 2010 for example, police reported that at least 12 people died and 39 others were hurt after the bus they were travelling in slammed into a tree on a curve.

Planned improvements include school speed zones, paved shoulders, safety barriers, footpaths, pedestrian crossings and new linemarking and signs.

The demonstration project is a tangible outcome of iRAP assessments that were undertaken with support from the World Bank and Australian Aid.

read more
Program begins in the Cayman Islands

Program begins in the Cayman Islands

The National Roads Authority of the Cayman Islands has begun a program of iRAP assessments that will lead to road safety improvements.

The NRA plan sets out details for assessments of existing roads, assessments of designs for a planned airport connector road, implementation of road safety countermeasures, training, policy development and advocacy.

Speaking at an official launch of the initiative, the minister responsible for roads, Kurt Tibbetts, said that the assessments were needed out of concern for fatal crashes that have occurred. In 2011, the Cayman Islands had a road death rate of 16.5 deaths per 100,000 people, almost twice the average of high-income countries.

read more
Safety assessments beginning in Uttar Pradesh, India

Safety assessments beginning in Uttar Pradesh, India

New iRAP assessments are due to begin shortly in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh, linked with the World Bank-financed road upgrades.

Uttar Pradesh is home to the famed Taj Mahal, but among the States of India Uttar Pradesh also suffers the second highest level of road trauma, with a reported 16,149 deaths occurring in 2012

The assessments of some 2,000km of roads will build on the extensive work already undertaken in India, which includes assessments of 6,200km of existing roads and 1,800km of designs for major road upgrades.

iRAP’s participation in the project is supported by the GRSF and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

read more
Engineers from all 32 States in Mexico in training

Engineers from all 32 States in Mexico in training

More than 100 road engineers from across Mexico are currently participating in safety training courses.

The training program, organized by SCT and delivered by iRAP, focuses on road engineering safety principles and techniques, the iRAP methodology and use of the iRAP software and data. 

The courses complement the extensive iRAP assessments in Mexico, covering some 45,000km of national roads and 20,000km of secondary roads, and are part of efforts to systematically reduce risk across the network.

SEMIC, an accredited iRAP supplier, is assisting in delivery of the national training program.

read more
Safety improvement works underway in Belize

Safety improvement works underway in Belize

Upgrades to lift road safety Star Ratings on the road between Belize City and Belmopan are underway.

The improvements include paved shoulders, regulatory and warning signs, bus laybys, safety barriers, linemarking and reflectorized road studs, pedestrian crossings and high-visibility chevron signs at curves.

The project is led by the Ministry of Public Works (MOW) with financial support from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and is helping to build a culture of road safety in Belize. The road upgrades are accompanied by institutional support, strategy development, training and police enforcement, and will include monitoring of Star Ratings and safety outcomes.  

In addition, safety improvements on a second stretch of road are now being designed. Those works include a new roundabout, traffic calming, and bike lanes and sidewalks in Belmopan.

read more

buscando noticias en español?

The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) is a Registered Charity with UN ECOSOC Consultative Status.
iRAP is registered in England and Wales under company number 05476000
Charity number 1140357

Registered office: 60 Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DS
GET IN TOUCH │ Europe │ Africa │ Asia Pacific │ Latin America and Caribbean │ North America

en_USEnglish