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Star Rating for Designs (SR4D) is a process and evidence-based programme of applications informed by the iRAP Methodology which enable the objective measure, and improvement, of the level of road safety ‘built in’ to a road design for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists, before the commencement of civil works.

SR4D enables road engineers and designers, municipalities and road authorities, funding agencies and governments to make roads safer.

Ensuring the safety of a road design before it clears the design phase directly equates to lives and serious injuries saved on the street. Despite knowledge and free tools to improve design safety, unsafe 1- and 2-star roads are still being built.

SR4D strengthens the road safety audit process, complementing it with an objective and repeatable qualification of road user risk (without the need for a high level of experience), and supports the wider potential of Star Ratings as a safety performance metric and maximised safety in road infrastructure investment.

SR4D will be essential to supporting countries to achieve the United Nations Global Road Safety Performance Targets, especially Target 3 to ensure all new roads are built to a 3-star or better standard for all road users.

New Enhancements announced

Innovative enhancements to iRAP’s Star Rating for Designs (SR4D) web app, allowing the safety of road designs to measured before the commencement of civil works, have been unveiled at the IRF World Congress in Istanbul (October 2024).

The safety of nearly 58,000 kilometres of road designs in 63 countries have already been assessed and improved with the use of SR4D, and the latest enhancements  make usability even better for road designers worldwide.

The new enhancement further improve the integrity of road safety assessments in meeting the 3-star or better global standard and UN Target 3 for new roads by:

  • – providing a more powerful toolset for creating and editing road geometry,
  • – streamlining the design process;
  • – new capability to import images and mapping files for precise geo-location;
  • – improved dataset management;
  • – and capability to submit datasets for quality assurance.

Download the SR4D Enhancements flyer here

Using the tool, road engineers and designers can define a road’s geometry and code its features to obtain a globally recognised iRAP safety Star Rating, along with fatal and serious injury estimations, and safety investment plans to optimise safety.

Watch the #RAPKnowledge Live Session 11: Star Rating for Designs – A key to safer roads recording below

Important update for Star Rating for Designs users in ViDA

Enhanced Efficiency: Your Updated SR4D Tool is Ready As part of our commitment to continuous improvement and supporting the Global Decade of Action for Road Safety, we would like to remind you of the series of technical updates and recent bug fixes for the Star Rating...

Regional Stakeholders Convene in Marrakech for Safe and Inclusive Road Design Workshop

We were pleased to join government officials, development partners and road safety experts from across North and West Africa this week in Marrakech for a two-day stakeholder consultation workshop on the Safe and Inclusive Road Design in North and West Africa Project....

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...

Dodoma, Tanzania: Prioritising 3-star or better safety for walking and cycling

A new $200 million World Bank-financed investment will enhance mobility and accessibility in Tanzania’s capital, Dodoma, with 3-star or better “complete streets” prioritising safe walking and cycling for climate-resilient and inclusive active mobility. In recent...

UNRSF Launches 2024 Annual Report including iRAP Partner Projects

The recently launched United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) 2024 Annual Report spotlights how countries, including three iRAP partner projects in Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Senegal, are taking action to narrow gaps in their national road safety...

Improved Road Design Safety in Papua New Guinea

Capacity for safer roads and designs is being lifted in Papua New Guinea as part of the Mountainous Road Improvement and Resilience Program (MRIRP) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and supported by the Department of Works and Highways, DT Global and iRAP....

Training series on road safety engineering standards emphasises need for holistic approach in Central Asia

This month, iRAP joined project partners the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) and the International Road Federation (IRF) in hosting a series of three training sessions for engineers and road safety practitioners across Central Asia. Over 60...

iRAP advocates for pedestrian and cyclist safety in support of UNGRSW

UN Global Road Safety Week, observed from 12-18 May 2025, focuses on the theme "Streets for Life: #MakeWalkingSafe and #MakeCyclingSafe". iRAP is proud to join this global effort to raise awareness and promote advocacy and action for safer road infrastructure for...

Aleatica signs #SaferRoadsPledge and achieves iRAP Certification for 8 of its concessions in Europe and Latin America

iRAP has certified 8 of Aleatica's road infrastructure concessions in 4 countries (Mexico, Chile, Spain and Italy) that meet the global infrastructure safety standard of 3 stars or more. Aleatica becomes the first company to achieve iRAP Certification for multiple...

Stakeholders review local road design standards for safer and more inclusive roads in Central Asia

On 14 November 2024, Ministry of Transport representatives and other stakeholders from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan met in Tashkent as part of the collaboration between UNESCAP, iRAP, EASST and the International Road Federation (IRF) to review and improve...

Watch the SR4D short video below and share with your network of road designers
(available in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French) 

English

Spanish

Portuguese

French

Road Designers Consultation Group

A Star Rating for Designs Road Designers Consultation Group was established in May 2022 to provide a road designer’s perspective on the development of the SR4D program and tools. See the Group’s Terms of Reference here. Advice and feedback may span all aspects of SR4D, for example:

– The road design process and how software is used
– The effectiveness of SR4D tools and development needs
– Training and accreditation
– Communications.

The Group comprises 18 experts with extensive experience in road design and SR4D, drawn from the private sector, public sector and NGOs, from each region of the world.  Their guidance will help inform the development of the Star Rating for Designs tool and global advocacy and action to achieve iRAP’s vision for every road design to have a Star Rating.

Group members, all of whom have generously volunteered their time and effort, include:

 

NameOrganisationCountry
Ahmed KsentiniFaculty of Sciences of Sfax (Faculté des sciences de Sfax)Tunisia
Chris FurneauxArupUnited Kingdom
Gustavo ArbizaIntendencia de MontevideoUruguay
Ilse MalagambaSafe System Solutions Pty LtdAustralia
Julian KwongChaussees LimitedChina
Kefalo GetahunAddis Ababa City Administration Road Traffic Management AgencyEthiopia
Matthew ChamberlainMatt Chamberlain Associates LtdUnited Kingdom
Marko SevrovicEuropean Institute of Road AssessmentCroatia
Milly LumumbaWorld Bank GroupKenya
Patricia Garces del CastilloUniversidad de CartagenaColombia
Regnald MassaweTanzania National Roads AgencyTanzania, United Republic of
Reg TingCity Transport Development and Management Office of PasigPhilippines
Srinivasa JampanaLouis Berger International - WSPIndia
Stelios EfstathiadisTransportation SolutionsGreece
Syed Yaseen AfshadNEOM-Corporate SafetySaudi Arabia
Vincent NguyenMott MacDonaldAustralia

Find out more information on SR4D and how to use it below

Arup shares SR4D benefits for Outcome Led Design

Global engineering firm Arup has been using Star Rating for Designs (SR4D) to improve the safety of their road designs and their corporate strategy for Outcome Led Design to save lives. Arup has 16,000 designers and staff working across 35 countries and was looking to...

Partners

Star Rating for Designs has been made possible through the financial support of the Global Road Safety Facility.

For more information:

For more information on Star Rating for Designs, please contact Greg Smith, Global Programme Director on email greg.smith@irap.org.

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
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