Benchmarking the safety of roads : learning from Euro NCAP'S star rating of safety.

Non-legislative means of encouraging safer roads, including 'consumer pressure' are discussed. The intention of the Euro RAP rating is to make the risk from roads more visible to road users, so that they increase the pressure for change. Ways of representing risk include accidents per kilometre (useful for emergency services planning), accidents per vehicle kilometre (useful for the road user), and accidents per vehicle kilometre compared with similar roads (useful for the highway designer). The improvements to vehicle design achieved by the Euro NCAP programme for cars and resulting consumer pressure are outlined with reference to head on and sideways impact testing. A key feature of the Euro NCAP programme is that manufacturers are given the opportunity to improve their vehicle desgns before future tests are scheduled. For the Euro RAP process, the importance of clear information to the road user and of paying attention to feedback is emphasised.