Partners of Austroads, the lead of the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP), have pledged their support for safer roads for all users by 2030 at the Australasian Road Safety Conference in Hobart.
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Austroads have joined with their partners such as the National Transport Research Organisation (NRTO), the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), Roads Australia (RA) and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), to pledge their support for road safety trauma reduction.
Using AusRAP, other risk-based assessment tools and road safety audits, contribute to achieving national as well as specific state or territory fatality and serious injury reduction goals.
The pledge aligns with the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30, which aims to halve road deaths and reduce serious injuries by at least 30% by 2030 and supports the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
Austroads Chief Executive Geoff Allan says every week in Australia 25 people die and 770 are seriously injured.
“This level of trauma is unacceptable,” he says.
“Safer roads will play a significant role in reducing this amount of harm in our communities and that is why we commit to the use of AusRAP and other risk-based assessment tools to achieve the national target that at least 80% of travel occurs on roads with a 3-star or equivalent rating or higher by 2030.”
AusRAP, risk-based assessments and road safety audits provide road authorities with the tools to systematically and proactively evaluate road safety, enabling the development and prioritisation of treatment plans that will enhance safety for all road users.
“Our pledge today supports the transformation of Australian road safety. With just five years remaining to halve the number of deaths on our roads and meet the targets set in the National Road Safety Strategy, the urgency for action is greater than ever,” he says.
iRap CEO Rob McInerney says globally, more than 3,200 people are killed on the roads every day.
“Road crashes are the leading cause of death for young people aged 5-29 around the world,” he says.
“Today’s pledge in support of the Australian National Road Safety Strategy is also a statement of support for the Global Plan for the Decade of Action on Road Safety 2021-30.”
“We know road infrastructure rated 3 stars or better for safety saves lives and prevents injuries.”
“We have only 5 years left in this decade of action to make a difference, to halve the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.”
The pledge is part of the initiative by iRAP, the International Road Federation and the FIA Foundation calling on organisations involved in designing and financing roads to pledge their commitment to safer roads.
The pledge, along with many others from around the world, will be presented to the world’s road safety leaders in February 2025, at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morrocco.
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