FIFTH EDITION

iRAP’S BIG DATA TOOL

vaccinesforroads.org

Unlocking the potential of the world’s largest road infrastructure safety database to explore the human and
financial impact of road injury, how safe the world’s roads are and provide the Business Case for Safer Roads.

NEW VICTIMS EVERY DAY HUMAN IMPACT NEW COSTS EVERY DAY (USD)
3,626 Lives Lost $ 1,731,400,000
932 Severe Acquired Brain Injury $ 1,271,400,000
20,865 Fractures - Limb $ 788,500,000
9,090 Internal Injuries $ 575,400,000
6,672 Brain Injury (Mild) / Head Injury $ 465,000,000
17,327 Soft Tissue (Neck / Back) / Whiplash $ 262,900,000
56 Quadriplegia $ 199,600,000
5,800 Fractures - Other $ 185,700,000
18,270 Contusion / Abrasion Laceration $ 109,800,000
2,865 Dislocations $ 103,200,000
920 Other Spinal $ 91,600,000
75 Paraplegia $ 76,400,000
914 Degloving $ 59,100,000
8,486 Other Injuries $ 55,400,000
4,266 Sprains / Strains $ 38,200,000
2,293 Concussion $ 23,900,000
161 Amputations $ 15,000,000
176 Burns (Severe / Moderate) $ 5,800,000
33 Nerve Damage $ 1,500,000
9 Loss Of Sight / Eyes $ 300,000
102,835 TOTAL $ 6+ BILLION

How safe are the The human impact of The global impact of
world’s roads? road crash injuries road crash injuries
Explore your region > Personal stories > 100,000+ people per day >

Saving lives with safer What is possible?

roads: Case studies The Business Case for Explore the Data
of success Safer Roads iRAP Big Data Tool >
Be inspired > Examine the full potential >

100+
1.6
MILLION
1.4
MILLION
$US80
BILLION 47,000 834
SCHOOL
KM RISK KM STAR INVESTMENT TRAINED
COUNTRIES ASSESSMENTS
MAPPED RATED MADE SAFER
.

A world free of high-risk roads #VaccinesForRoads #3StarorBetter

Maximising travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users vaccinesforroads.org
THE HUMAN IMPACT EVERY DAY

NEW VICTIMS EVERY DAY HUMAN IMPACT NEW COSTS EVERY DAY (USD)
3,626 Lives Lost $ 1,731,400,000
932 Severe Acquired Brain Injury $ 1,271,400,000
20,865 Fractures - Limb $ 788,500,000
9,090 Internal Injuries $ 575,400,000
6,672 Brain Injury (Mild) / Head Injury $ 465,000,000
17,327 Soft Tissue (Neck / Back) / Whiplash $ 262,900,000
56 Quadriplegia $ 199,600,000
5,800 Fractures - Other $ 185,700,000
18,270 Contusion / Abrasion Laceration $ 109,800,000
2,865 Dislocations $ 103,200,000
920 Other Spinal $ 91,600,000
75 Paraplegia $ 76,400,000
914 Degloving $ 59,100,000
8,486 Other Injuries $ 55,400,000
4,266 Sprains / Strains $ 38,200,000
2,293 Concussion $ 23,900,000
161 Amputations $ 15,000,000
176 Burns (Severe / Moderate) $ 5,800,000
33 Nerve Damage $ 1,500,000
9 Loss Of Sight / Eyes $ 300,000
102,835 TOTAL $ 6+ BILLION

THE GLOBAL
VACCINES FOR ROADS

Unlocking the win-win potential to save Local partnerships, global programme

100 million deaths and serious injuries The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) is an
worldwide over 20 years. international, award-winning charity dedicated to creating a
iRAP’s Big Data Tool, Vaccines for Roads V, shines a light on the world free of high-risk roads. The iRAP tools are provided in a
human impact of road trauma and unlocks the potential of the free-to-air environment for all to use and contribute to in a spirit
world’s largest road infrastructure safety database to explore how of mutual benefit. Working in partnership with road authorities,
safe the world’s roads are and provide the Business Case for 3-star mobility clubs, development banks, NGOs and research
or better roads for all road users worldwide. With knowledge of organisations, our combined impact extends across more than
the human impact, current condition of the world’s roads; the 100 countries to save lives and reduce serious injuries.
Business Case for Safer Roads and case studies of success, we
have the moral imperative, the policy setting, funding mechanism
and recipe for scale.

Local partnerships, global programme

THE GLOBAL TARGETS
In recognition of the global road safety crisis,
the United Nations Sustainable Development 3 4
Goals include targets to halve the number of 2030 2030
global deaths and injuries (target 3.6); invest in
infrastructure to create growth and jobs (target Target 3: By 2030, all new Target 4: By 2030, more
9.1); and ensure that transport is safe and roads achieve technical than 75% of travel on
sustainable (target 11.2). standards for all road existing roads is on roads
users that take into that meet technical
account road safety, or standards for all road
meet a three star rating users that take into
The Global Plan 2021-2030 or better. account road safety.
UN General Assembly Resolution 74/299 declared a Second
Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 with the target to
halve global road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. The Global Applying the iRAP Global Standard
Plan for the Second Decade of Action calls on governments and to meet Targets 3 and 4 by 2030...
partners to implement a Safe System Approach including safe road
infrastructure, safe road use, safe vehicles, multimodal transport
and land-use planning, and post-crash response. The Plan is 450+ 100 $8
focussed on achieving the 12 UN Global Road Safety Performance THOUSAND MILLION SAVINGS
Targets including Target 3 for ensuring all new roads are built to a lives will be deaths and for every
3-star or better standard for all road users and Target 4 for more
than 75% of travel to be on the equivalent of 3-star or better roads
saved a year serious injuries
will be saved $1
for all road users by 2030. over 20 years INVESTED

HOW SAFE ARE THE WORLD’S ROADS?

A 1-star road is the least $0.19
safe and a 5-star road is
Cost of killed and seriously injured

the safest Research shows that a person’s

per vehicle-km travelled (US$)

Do you have a footpath? Is the road risk of death or serious injury is

divided? Are the roadsides safe? Are
approximately halved for each
the speeds appropriate? Star Rating
and Investment Plan inspections create $0.09
incremental improvement
a rich source of data that provides an in star rating.
insight into why road trauma remains
one of the world’s leading public
health challenges.
$0.05
Source: OECD (2016)

Based on evidence-based research, $0.02

Star Ratings for pedestrians, cyclists, $0.01
motorcyclists and vehicle occupants
provide an objective measure of the 1-Star Road 2-Star Road 3-Star Road 4-Star Road 5-Star Road
likelihood of a crash occurring and its
severity. A 1-star road is the least safe
and a 5-star road is the safest.

Ensuring more than 75% of travel is on 3-star or better roads for all road users by 2030
will save lives on a scale that matters.

Maximising travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users vaccinesforroads.org
A world free of high-risk roads
SO WHERE ARE WE NOW?
A GLOBAL SNAPSHOT
How roads rate and the road features that matter
Road deaths and injuries are predictable and preventable. Head-on
fatalities occur on undivided roads. Run-off road fatalities occur where the
roadsides are unforgiving. Pedestrian fatalities occur where sidewalks are
missing, safe crossing facilities don’t exist or speeds are inappropriate.
vaccinesforroads.org summarises star rating and investment plan data and
provides an interactive data analysis tool for reviewing how roads rate, as
well as how road users fare on them globally and by country. The results are
based on 400 million data points including roads in rural and urban areas
and in low-, middle- and high-income countries.
The following charts present the road safety performance of the world’s
roads by road user group, along with the road features that elevate risk,
to show the basic safety features missing from the world’s roads.

See vaccinesforroads.org to explore more fully how safe the

world’s roads are by road type, road user group, traffic volumes, area
type, road maintenance standards and by global region.

BASED ON 358,000KM OF ROADS ACROSS 54 COUNTRIES:

2.1% 0.4%

9.5% Road
features
46.1%
elevating

88%
42%
this risk 85%
of roads where pedestrians
92%
of roads where pedestrians
22%
of pedestrian crossings are
of travel is only are present and traffic flows cross and traffic flows at poorly signed or maintained
1-2 stars at 40km/h or more have no 40km/h or more have no
for pedestrians formal footpaths or sidewalks pedestrian crossing facilities

4.5% Road features 1.7% Road features

1.4% elevating this risk 0.7% elevating this risk

11.4%

27.4%
35% 99%
of roads have
91%
of roads have
67% 86% 27.6% 58.6%
no motorcycle no bicycle lane
lane
of travel is only of travel is only
31.7%
1-2 stars 1-2 stars
for motorcyclists for bicyclists

4.2%

9.2% 14.4% Road

features

44% 42.5%
29.6% elevating
this risk
81%
of roads where traffic
79%
of roads where traffic
73%
of intersections where traffic
of travel is only flows at 80km/h or more flows at 80km/h or more flows at 60km/h or more have
1-2 stars are undivided have dangerous roadsides no safe turning provision
for vehicles

1-star 2-star 3-star 4-star 5-star

Local partnerships, global programme

POLICY LEADERSHIP
3-STAR OR BETTER NATIONAL GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP
TARGET FOR ALL ROAD Australia: 80% of travel on national Malaysia: All concession companies
USERS BY 2030 highways and high speed network to be
3-star or better
to undertake iRAP recommended
improvements. KPI target for 5 safer
Brazil: 3-star or better on Federal highways per year.

ALL
Roads and concessionaire regulatory New Zealand: 4-star roads of national
3 4
2030 2030 framework of iRAP significance; Wellington Gateway toll
Target 3: By 2030, all new Target 4: By 2030, more
Chile: Autopista Central toll roads to be a minimum 4-star standard
roads achieve technical than 75% of travel on

new roads road upgrade to meet minimum Saudi Arabia:100% of highways 3-star or
standards for all road existing roads is on roads
users that take into that meet technical
account road safety, or standards for all road
3-star standard better by 2030
3-Star or Better
meet a three star rating users that take into
or better. account road safety.
China: Five year Road Safety Plan Sweden: Near 100% of network 3-star
requires national implementation of road or better by 2030
assessments and rapid treatment of

>75%
Thailand: All new roads to achieve a
3 4 high-risk road sections 3-star or better standard
2030 2030

rget 3: By 2030, all new Target 4: By 2030, more Greece: 65% of TEN-T network to be Vietnam: All new roads Grade 3 or
ads achieve technical than 75% of travel on
> 3 stars by 2025 and 80% by 2030 higher and 70% of national highway
of travel on
andards for all road existing roads is on roads
ers that take into that meet technical
count road safety, or standards for all road Indonesia: All roads built from 2023 to length 3-star or better
existing roads
eet a three star rating users that take into
better. account road safety. achieve 3-star rating. > 75% of motor
vehicle journeys to meet 3-star standard.
3-star or better
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP
By setting ambitious and achievable
Asian Development Bank: Recommendation for 4-star roads for pedestrians and cyclists in
policy targets using the global linear settlements, 4-star for vehicles on roads carrying 50,000 vehicles or more, and 3-star or
star rating standard, countries are better for all other road projects.
creating a legacy of safer roads for UNESCAP: Ensure that new roads of the Asian Highway network are 3-star or better for all road
future generations. users and that more than 75% of travel on existing roads is 3-star or better for all road users
Millennium Challenge Corporation: Eliminating 1 and 2-star roads in Moldova, Philippines,
El Salvador, Cote d’Ivoire, Nepal and Senegal
World Bank: Minimum 3-star targets for selected projects around the world.

CASE STUDIES
Many governments and private road operators have now implemented road
upgrades as part of their RAP projects and programmes. Policies are in
place, optimised investment is being mobilised and lives are being saved.

OF SUCCESS An estimated US$80 billion of road investment is already being made safer.
The following case studies show that saving lives on 3-star or better roads is
truly possible as we scale up action worldwide.
Visit www.irap.org/media-centre/case-studies to see more
RADAR RAP partnerships and activities that are saving lives and
Belize preventing serious injuries around the world every day.

Great Britain SENSOR

ChinaRAP
El Salvador Coastal Highway

IndiaRAP

Star Rating for Schools

Justin Kabwe School, Zambia Bruce Highway

Malaysia

Mexico’s National Network

3-Star Policy

Global Design Standard

Maximising travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users vaccinesforroads.org
A world free of high-risk roads
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SAFER ROADS
For each that road The iRAP Business Case for Safer Roads, which
can be explored at vaccinesforroads.org, provides
trauma costs
$100 the community,
a high-level global and national estimate of the
lives and serious injuries that can be saved, and
the social and economic benefits of maximizing
the percentage of travel on 3 star or better roads
by 2030.
only is currently The simple analysis shows that affordable road
invested to
$1-3
improvements, such as footpaths, safety barriers,
bicycle lanes, paved shoulders and safer speeds,
prevent crashes. applied at large-scale, will play an important
role alongside safer vehicles, safer road
users and better post-crash care in 
Put simply, there is a gross under‑investment achieving the UN SDG targets.

in life saving road upgrades and speed

management worldwide – and the solutions
to save lives are highly cost-effective.

UN TARGET 4 >75% of travel on roads that meet technical standards

for all road users by 2030 (equivalent to 3-star or better)
Low Lower middle Upper middle High ALL
income income income income

Number of countries 29 52 53 51 185

CURRENT SITUATION
Annual number of fatalities* 172,759 591,534 485,109 95,415 1,344,817

Fatalities per 100,000 population 27.8 19.7 18.6 8.3 18.2

Annual number of fatalities and serious injuries 1,900,349 6,506,874 5,336,199 1,049,565 14,792,987

Annual cost of fatalities and serious injuries

$28 bn $290 bn $933 bn $975 bn $2,225 bn
(US$)

Annual cost of fatalities and serious injuries

7.1% 4.7% 4.5% 2.0% 3.0%
(% of GDP)

WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED with >75% of travel on 3-star or better roads

for all road users by 2030*
Annual investment as a % of GDP (2020) 0.20% 0.17% 0.12% 0.14% 0.14%

Reduction in fatalities per year 76,271 200,212 162,167 21,040 459,691

Reduction in fatalities and serious injuries

16,779,677 44,046,532 35,676,817 4,628,895 101,131,921
(FSI) over 20 years

Economic benefit ($US) $205 bn $1,657 bn $5,308 bn $3,381 bn $10,550 bn

Benefit Cost Ratio 18 11 15 4 8

*Full assumptions and national snapshots are available at vaccinesforroads.org

Local partnerships, global programme

Achieving >75%
of travel on 3-star or better
roads by 2030 will save
an estimated Targeted safe roads investment by
450,000+ all countries of
lives every year and 0.1- 0.2% GDP per year
100 million through to 2030 will unlock this
incredible outcome with
lives and serious injuries
over the 20-year life of $8 of benefits
the treatments. for every $1 invested.

ZAMBIA UNITED KINGDOM SLOVAKIA

CHINA AUSTRALIA MALAYSIA

NEW ZEALAND COLOMBIA MOLDOVA

Maximising travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users vaccinesforroads.org
A world free
of high-risk roads
TAKE ACTION NOW
Applying the Step by Step Approach to Safer Roads
provides the confidence to invest, the metrics to
measure success and the vaccine we need for safer roads.
Investing in safer roads and safer speeds will save lives and provide significant economic benefits.
iRAP encourages and supports all countries to fully develop their own capacity to lead and deliver
their own Road Assessment Programme.

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Undertake Undertake Set network Establish a Invest in safer Save lives and REPEAT!
risk mapping star rating & and corridor safer roads roads save money
& identify investment level star rating fund or
high-risk road plan analysis targets dedicated
sections funding stream

Join us on the #3StarorBetter journey

with #VaccinesForRoads

TAKE ACTION NOW > vaccinesforroads.org [email protected]

To establish or expand your own RAP programme, please contact us:

[email protected] irap.org irapsavinglives iRAPfb

iRAP is supported by

iRAP is the umbrella charity supporting 100+ countries The International Road Assessment
and regional RAP programmes including: Programme is a global registered charity.
Registered Charity Number: 1140357
Registered Office: 60 Trafalgar Square,
London, WC2N 5DS, United Kingdom
© iRAP 2022

Maximising travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users vaccinesforroads.org