Impactbeleggen

There are few better investments than in safer roads and safe speeds. Yet investment does not yet match the scale of this preventable public health crisis. Currently, only $1-3 is invested in road trauma prevention for every $100 of crash-related costs.    

 iRAP supports the impact investing – investing capital to generate both financial returns and measurable positive social or environmental outcomes – by providing tools for independent, data-driven measures of road safety performance – such as Star Ratings and Safer Roads Investment Plans.   

 iRAP tools help investors, lenders, and governments identify projects that deliver strong safety, social, and economic returns. This evidence base enables road safety to be integrated into ESG frameworks and impact investment strategies, positioning safer roads as a critical component of sustainable infrastructure portfolios. 

 Through partnerships with development banks, investors, and infrastructure operators, iRAP is helping to embed safety into sustainability-linked finance mechanisms, including bonds, loans, and public–private partnerships. Road safety performance indicators- such as achieving 3-star or better standards or reducing fatal and serious injury risk- can be linked to financing terms, creating incentives for safer outcomes. This approach not only unlocks new capital for high-impact upgrades but also ensures that investments deliver measurable benefits for communities, aligning financial returns with life-saving outcomes. 

 To help support debate about the case for investment in safe speeds and infrastructure, iRAP has created the Investment Case for Safer Roads. It shows that: 

• If every country achieved the Global Plan targets for safer roads, more than 400,000 lives would be saved every year – over 1,000 lives saved a day.  

• Investments of just 0.2% GDP per year through to 2030 will unlock this incredible outcome with $8 of benefits for every $1 invested. 

• Benefits would be highest in low and middle income countries, where trauma rates are highest.