TRL was commissioned to develop a protocol for undertaking Road Protection Score (RPS) surveys in the UK that is compatible with protocols of EuroRAP and iRAP, and applicable to conditions on UK roads. EuroRAP RPS rates the safety of a road based on how well the design would protect a car occupant from severe injury in a collision, on a scale of 1 to 4 stars. Roadside, median and junction designs are the key factors in RPS. About 7000km of roads, including 2350km of Highways Agency network, were surveyed. Overall, motorways score significantly higher than A-roads, but 2% and 42% respectively scored less than 3-star. Nearly 1% of HA motorways scored below 3-star; around 51% scored 3-star, and 48% scored 4-star. Over 75% of HA A-roads scored 3 or 4 stars. Nearly two-thirds of English non-HA A-roads scored less than 3-star. Scottish motorways and A-roads scored well, gaining 4-star rating at a higher percentage. Welsh motorways scored well, but A-roads poorly, probably due to other road selection criteria that were employed. In Northern Ireland, 76% of motorways scored 3-star and 13% 4-star. 81% of A-roads scored less than 3-star. RPS performs the important function of providing information that accident histories do not, yet a good correlation is observed between both. (Author/publisher) This report may be accessed by Internet users at http://www.iam.org.uk/Resources/Institute%20Of%20Advanced%20Motorists/D…
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