Almost all of us know someone who has been killed in a road crash. In the last decade alone, half a million Europeans have been killed on our roads. This reservoir of human suffering rarely surfaces in the media – each personal tragedy is endured by the few involved. In countries where road traffic law is generally respected, however imperfectly, the research now consistently shows that safer roads can save more lives than safer vehicles or safer road-user behaviour. The need for safer drivers and vehicles is well understood - the need for safer roads is not. EuroRAP helps to show the public and road authorities where risky roads are and what best practice exists to put them right, preventing crashes and making those that do happen survivable. EuroRAP’s three protocols of Risk Mapping, Performance Tracking, and Star Rating align well with those seeking self-explaining and forgiving roads. In 2001, pilot EuroRAP results were available for just four countries. Now, only a few years later, this report describes work done, planned, or in hand in nearly 20 countries – from Arctic to Mediterranean. (Author/publisher)
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