Safety Measures Prevent Hundreds Of Thousands Of Road Deaths And Severe Injuries

14.05.2024 - 21:33 / forbes.com

Nearly 700,000 deaths and serious injuries will have been prevented in 74 countries from January 2016 through the end of 2024 from improvements to road infrastructure and the implementation of safer speeds. By 2044, the number of fatalities and serious injuries is projected to be almost 3.2 million.

Those are the highlights of a new report released on Thursday by the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), a nonprofit that identifies high-risk roads in more than 125 countries and works to make them safer through assessment, design, and upgrades.

“We are so proud and thankful for each, and every life saved by our partners around the world,” Rob McInerney, iRAP’s chief executive, said in a statement.

iRAP is the umbrella program for regional road assessment programs.

“We don’t know who we have saved, but we do know it could be someone you or I love,” McInerney added. “What this research shows is that countries and organisations that are making use of the iRAP methodology and tools to inform investment in safer roads – such as sidewalks and crossings, bicycle lanes, safety barriers and traffic calming – are having a real and measurable impact."

The study, its researchers said, is the first to measure the impact of road projects financed and implemented by governments, development banks, road safety NGOs, and private-sector road operators around the world using iRAP’s methodology and tools.

“Statistical estimation of fatal and serious injuries saved by iRAP protocols in 74 countries” was based on research led by Johns Hopkins University and published in the journal PLOS One.

The iRAP Star Rating Methodology provides a simple and objective measure of road safety levels ‘built in’ to the road for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. It measures the likelihood of a crash occurring and its severity. A 1-star rated road is the least safe while a 5-star road is the safest.

Examples of where the iRAP methodology has been successfully used in road safety projects:

“This analysis demonstrates the profound impact that iRAP is having around the world,” Saul Billingsley, executive director of the FIA Foundation, said in a statement, “saving hundreds of thousands of deaths and serious injuries through safe road assessment, design, and upgrades of roads.

The FIA Foundation, a nonprofit based in London, funds iRAP’s core work.

“Now we need to see greater government investment and support from development banks to deliver safer road infrastructure over the next five years,” Billingsley, “so that we can do everything we can to achieve the global goal to halve road deaths by 2030.”

For more information, including the complete list of case studies, click here. To read the full report, click