USING IRAP STAR RATINGS AND SAFER ROADS INVESTMENT PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF REGIONAL ROAD NETWORK IN INDIA (Paper 893)

The Government of India has invested heavily in road building programmes in recent years to improve mobility and reduce journey times. However, with a continued rise in reported road deaths it is of paramount importance that every opportunity be taken to ensure that these new roads and rehabilitation projects focus on the need for safe road infrastructure for all road users. Since 2010 several State Road Authorities in India have been using the star rating system, developed by the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to measure road infrastructure risk and have been developing Safer Roads Investment Plans to identify cost-effective treatments for inclusion in planned upgrades that have made the roads safer and more forgiving.  
The methodology involves assessment of road features that influence risk for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists and assigns a safety rating from 1 to 5 stars. To date in India, more than 10,000km of roads have been assessed across 10 states with more than 75% of the length assessed rated just 1 or 2-stars for safety. It is estimated that more than 75,000 deaths and serious injuries are occurring every year on the roads assessed and the investment plans are helping to ensure that safety of road designs is optimized. 
This paper explains the methodology and discusses the benefits of adopting this systematic and proactive approach and looks at how the star rating of road designs is helping to make sure that safety is built-in to the process at the planning and design stage.