About
Our Vision Is For A World Free Of High Risk Roads
Saving lives and preventing serious injuries on the world’s roads are what iRAP is all about. With 1.35 million deaths and 30-50,000,000 injuries every year, we need urgent action now to deliver safer roads for all road users. Road traffic injuries are now the leading killer of people aged 5-29 years.
iRAP (the International Road Assessment Programme) is the umbrella programme for Road Assessment Programmes (RAPs) worldwide that are working to save lives. Like many life-saving charities working in the public health arena, we use a robust, evidence-based approach to prevent unnecessary deaths and suffering.
As the umbrella programme for Road Assessment Programmes worldwide, iRAP uses evidence-based tools including Risk Mapping, Star Rating, Safer Roads Investment Plans and Policy and Performance Tracking to help partners create safer roads for all users.
Halving road deaths and injuries is a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, with specific targets to ensure all new roads meet 3-star safety standards and that 75% of travel occurs on 3-star or better roads by 2030. Achieving this would save an estimated 402,000 lives annually. Beyond the social justice imperative, safer roads deliver exceptional public investment returns. Working with global partners and donors, iRAP is committed to creating a world free of high-risk roads.
Our Global Impact
700,000
Saved
Saved more than 700,000 lives and serious injuries.
4 Million
km +
Over 4 million km of road safety assessments.
$113
Billion
Safeguarding USD $113 billion of infrastructure investment.
Our Values
We Are Purposeful & Committed
We’re on a mission to save lives by making roads safer.
Every step we take brings us closer to a safer world – and we won’t stop until we get there.
We Are Impactful & Efficient
We are proactive. We anticipate challenges and act decisively. We turn plans into action – we don’t wait for change; we make it happen with lasting impact.
We Are Innovative & Progressive
We embrace new ideas, push boundaries, and learn as we grow. Always evolving, we create real change and safer roads through bold thinking and action.
We Are Honest & Evidence-Based
Guided by science and measurable data, we develop life-saving solutions to improve road safety. We stand by our word, prioritising transparency and trust in everything we do.
We Are Inclusive & Respectful
We hear, support and value everyone. We foster a culture of care and respect. Working together, we ensure everyone has a voice and create a safe space for all to thrive.
We Are Family & Friends
We care for each other, at work and in life, valuing the bonds that make us stronger together. Side by side with our partners, we face challenges and celebrate every success as one team.
A Concise History of iRAP
The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) evolved from the original Road Assessment Programme (RAP) and the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), both founded by the British, Dutch, and Swedish governments in partnership with European automobile clubs and safety charities. These programs aimed to create a market for safety by raising consumer awareness.
EuroRAP was established as a Brussels-based International Non-Profit Association to manage Road Assessment Programmes across the EU. ADAC, ANWB, and RSF were founding members.
The United Kingdom Road Assessment Programme was officially launched. It was a founding member of EuroRAP, with the UK’s Road Safety Foundation publishing the first EuroRAP results in Britain that year.
The European Commission launched its Road Safety Action Programme (2003-2010), which set ambitious goals to reduce road deaths and improve road infrastructure. This initiative laid the groundwork for road assessment programs like iRAP.
The U.S. Road Assessment Program (usRAP) was launched in 2004. It began as a pilot program initiated by the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS) to explore adapting the European Road Assessment Program (EuroRAP) for use in the United States. The Roadway Safety Foundation has directed the program since 2014.
The development of road safety ratings was expanding globally. By this year, around 20 countries were either applying or developing the safety ratings in Europe. Additionally, programs had been established in Australia (AusRAP) and New Zealand (KiwiRAP), and had been initiated in the USA (usRAP). This marked a significant period of international growth for the road assessment programs.
iRAP was formed as an umbrella organization for road assessment programs worldwide.
With a €3m grant from the FIA Foundation, iRAP developed road assessment techniques specifically for use in low and middle-income countries. These were piloted in Chile, Costa Rica, Malaysia, and South Africa.
In 2007, iRAP successfully completed pilot studies in Malaysia, Chile, Costa Rica, and South Africa, proving that its road assessment methodology was effective in developing countries.
ChinaRAP was launched in 2008. It was initially supported by the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility and Bloomberg Philanthropies. This collaboration aimed to introduce system solutions for traffic safety management and to help eliminate high-risk sections of roads.
The inaugural Vaccines for Roads report was launched. The new techniques added innovative economic appraisal to generate safety investment programs.
In 2010, the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 was declared by the UN General Assembly. This global plan, co-sponsored by more than 100 countries, set a goal to save five million lives over the decade. This milestone provided a framework and a unified international goal that iRAP and its partners could directly contribute to with their work on road safety assessments and improvements.
In 2011, iRAP was officially granted charitable status (UK Registered Charity 1140257). This was a significant step in the organization’s growth, solidifying its position as a non-profit dedicated to saving lives by eliminating high-risk roads worldwide.
Additionally, in 2011, iRAP technical and research papers were published on topics like the Philippines Technical paper, Before and After Studies Using Crash Data, and an iRAP report on Star Rating Road Improvements in Malaysia. These documents show how iRAP’s methodology and tools were being used to analyze and improve road safety in various countries.
Global Expansion: iRAP’s program activities had expanded to over 70 countries, with approximately 500,000 km of road risk assessed.
New Tools and Models: The organization introduced Star Rating for Designs (SR4D) to help guide the safety performance of new roads. This year also saw the development of new models, including urban risk mapping, Star Rating for Schools, and enhanced reporting tools.
Publications: iRAP published several reports, including a study on how Star Ratings helped shape the safe design of 550km of concession roads in India’s Karnataka State.
Vaccines for Road II: This report was launched, summarizing the progress from pilot projects to global programs.
Founding sponsor FedEx began supporting the new Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) initiative, which was instrumental in scaling up the programme globally.
RMTC, the lead agency for road traffic management in South Africa, has established the South African Road Assessment Program (SARAP)https://irap.org/2013/07/south-africa-free-of-high-risk-roads/
iRAP received the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its efforts to scale up road safety infrastructure. By this year, iRAP tools were being used in over 70 countries on projects worth more than $7 billion in developing countries alone.
The Vaccines for Roads III report was launched, promoting 3-star or better roads for all road users.
Innovative financing concepts were investigated to highlight the potential of win-win investments in road safety.
The Star Rating for Schools tablet app was further developed and supported by FedEx to be a free and scalable solution for communities globally.
Initiation of the long-term study with Johns Hopkins University to estimate the impact of road safety improvements. This partnership led to the development of a paper that analyzed the impact of 1,039 infrastructure projects across 74 countries where the iRAP methodology and tools were used (released in 2024).
The landmark announcement of IndiaRAP, a locally led, globally supported road assessment programme for India https://irap.org/2017/11/new-indian-road-assessment-programme-to-save-lives/
New investment was made in CycleRAP as part of an enhanced iRAP Urban application.
Enhanced crash data modules were developed, and design standards were reviewed to inform safer road design.
MyRAP was officially launched in Malaysia as part of the government’s effort to improve road safety. This marked another milestone in iRAP’s expanding global influence. https://irap.org/2019/10/myrap-programme-launched-to-address-malaysia-road-safety/
iRAP and partners achieved a major milestone by Star Rating over 1 million km of roads worldwide, highlighting the program’s significant global scale and impact.
The Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) program was used at 695 schools in 36 countries.
The BrazilRAP program was officially launched with the Brazilian government. https://irap.org/2019/11/dnit-and-irap-launch-brazilrap-programme-to-address-road-safety/
iRAP and its partners reach across 102 countries with over 1 million kilometres of assessments performed world-wide and USD$81.5 billion of road infrastructure investment made safer.
Our Training and Accreditation programme continues to grow, and for the first-time people in Algeria, Bahrain, Belarus, Central African Republic, Iraq, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Norway, Oman, Suriname, Swaziland and Turkey took iRAP training – an exciting step towards safer roads in these countries.
In 2021, a significant milestone for iRAP was the publication of the first-ever 5-Star Safer Roads Investment Plan for a highway in Vietnam. The plan was developed in partnership with the Asia Development Bank and the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam. This project highlighted how iRAP’s tools could be applied to a nationally significant highway and influence high-level investment decisions.
This year was also important for iRAP’s work on global road safety targets. In 2021, the World Bank reaffirmed its commitment to the UN Global Road Safety Performance Target 3, which states that all new roads should achieve a 3-star rating or better by 2030. This renewed focus provided a clear objective that iRAP and its partners could work toward in the new Decade of Action for Road Safety.
International Awards: iRAP and its partners received five awards at the International Safety Media Awards, including a Gold for the Road Safety Toolkit and a Silver for the AVO Star Rating for Design Project Digital Story. https://irap.org/2022/12/celebrating-gold-silver-and-bronze-and-honorable-mentions-at-the-international-safety-media-awards-2022/
TanRAP, the Tanzanian Road Assessment Programme, is launched as part of the 10 steps to safer infrastructure project https://irap.org/2022/09/tanrap-launched-to-eliminate-high-risk-roads-in-tanzania/
After 21 years, the EuroRAP entity was dissolved and its program was integrated into iRAP, which is now active in nearly 130 countries. https://irap.org/2023/12/a-bright-future-for-rapineurope/
Aleatica Foundation becomes a Donor of the charity, contributing funding to help make roads safer in Mexico and the world. https://irap.org/2023/11/aleatica-foundation-and-irap-partnership-to-make-roads-safer/
To support the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, iRAP has published a new Safety Insights Explorer. The Explorer shines a light on the true extent of road trauma, the safety of the world’s roads, and the positive impact that can be made with targeted investment. iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer has replaced the Vaccines for Roads. https://irap.org/2023/11/irap-launches-safety-insights-explorer/
KSARAP launches for safer roads in Saudi Arabia https://irap.org/2023/12/ksarap-launches-for-safer-roads-in-saudi-arabia/
MexiRAP launched to reduce high-risk highways https://irap.org/2023/11/mexirap-launches-to-reduce-high-risk-highways-in-mexico/
The collaboration between iRAP and Johns Hopkins University yielded a landmark report, providing crucial data on the global impact of iRAP’s work. The study, published in the journal PLOS One, analyzed 1,039 infrastructure projects in 74 countries and provided the following key findings:
- Lives Saved: The application of the iRAP model and its tools prevented an estimated 699,768 deaths and serious injuries between January 2016 and the end of 2024.
- Long-term Impact: The report projects that by 2044, the existing road improvements will have prevented nearly 3.2 million fatalities and serious injuries, given the typical 20-year lifespan of road treatments.
BrazilRAP São Paulo launches: First state programme to eliminate high-risk roads https://irap.org/2024/05/brazilrap-sao-paulo-launches-first-state-programme-to-eliminate-high-risk-roads/
iRAP was delighted to join Ministers, 260 speakers and a reported 5,000 attendees from 120 countries at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, held from 15-20 February (inclusive of Side Events) in Marrakech, Morocco.
https://irap.org/2025/03/event-summary-4th-global-ministerial-conference-on-road-safety/
Pakistan Road Assessment Program (PakRAP) is formally established https://irap.org/2025/02/minister-for-communications-establishes-pakistan-road-assessment-program/
Kazakhstan Road Assessment Program (KazRAP) is launched. https://irap.org/2025/06/kazrap-launches-for-safer-roads-in-kazakhstan/
The Senegal Road Assessment Programme (SnRAP) is officially launched.
https://irap.org/2025/05/senegal-road-assessment-programme-launched-to-save-lives/
Awards
Since 2004, iRAP and our partners have been honoured with numerous prestigious international awards, including multiple Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards, International Road Federation Global Awards, and recognition from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the European Cyclists’ Federation for our life-saving work across more than 100 countries.
We also celebrate excellence through our own awards programs, most notably the Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy, established in memory of our former Board Chair Gary Liddle AO, which is presented annually to the best performing road authority eliminating high-risk roads using iRAP methodology.
Our Partners
iRAP is the umbrella organisation for regional RAP programmes, with partners in over 130 countries.
iRAP partners with governments, development banks, research institutions, industry and road safety NGOs to provide the tools and training to make road safe.
