The value of identifying risk distributions across the major interurban road network, and showing roads which have been improved substantially and those that continue to show persistent safety problems, is now well established through the regular publication of EuroRAP results in many countries. Road inspections have already been extensively used in Sweden and Germany, and are currently being trialled in Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain. The basic focus on the capability of the road infrastructure in these countries to mitigate severe injury in the event of an accident remains, but this focus is being extended to include engineering measures to reduce the likelihood of accidents. The international focus for the EuroRAP philosophy and methodology has been further developed through sister programmes in Australia and the United States, and through collaboration with the FIA Foundation, World Bank and others on the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP). (Author/publisher)
Abstract