Why Has EuroRAP Been Formed?

The EU set a target to halve the number of deaths on Europe's roads by 2010. Most member states have set national targets. New initiatives are essential if these targets are to be met - let alone meet the more demanding "Vision Zero" aspirations of some governments for the future.

Roadside memorials are an all too familiar sight on Europe's roads

Reducing road deaths means action on all three components of the road system - safer drivers, in safer cars, on safer roads.

Vigorous initiatives are underway across Europe to improve driver behaviour with new legislation, education and enforcement. Action is focused on seat-belt wearing, drink-driving, speeding and driver licensing.

Vehicle safety standards soared following the arrival of EuroNCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme). This programme introduced a consistent system of star rating the crash protection standards provided by new cars. Just a few years ago, 2-star standards were the norm. Now the public are offered 4 and 5-star cars. New research is showing that the chance of being killed in a modern car is many times lower than in a car built 20 years ago.

But what of action on roads? Tens of thousands of lives and serious injuries can be prevented every year by applying known safety improvements to detailed road layouts. Road engineers, like vehicle engineers before EuroNCAP, are lagging well behind - often by decades - in applying what they know from research should be done. Researchers have innovations waiting to be put into practice.

Photo of a road with lanes separated using wire road barriers

Wire rope barriers can reduce the risk of fatal head-on crashes

But the public and their elected representatives do not yet understand the scale of the contribution that better road layouts can make, or what practical action to call for.

EuroRAP has been developed with the technical advice of Europe's best performing road authorities and leading research laboratories. EuroRAP provides an independent, consistent system to measure the safety of Europe's roads and to track how quickly effective improvements are being implemented.