Skip to main content

The IRF gives safety award to the Spanish Road Association and the Inter-American Development Bank

A joint international road safety award has been presented to the Spanish Road Association and the Inter-American Development Bank. The IRF International Award on Road Safety was given for the Road Safety Strategy in Latin America and Caribbean (Diagnosis, Toolkit and Pilot Tests) project, which developed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the technical support of the Spanish Road Association (SRA). This forms part of the IRF Global Road Achievement Award (GRAA) 2012 and is one of the most im
January 21, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
A joint international road safety award has been presented to the 2392 Spanish Road Association and the 2791 Inter-American Development Bank. The 2462 IRF International Award on Road Safety was given for the Road Safety Strategy in Latin America and Caribbean (Diagnosis, Toolkit and Pilot Tests) project, which developed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the technical support of the Spanish Road Association (SRA). This forms part of the IRF Global Road Achievement Award (GRAA) 2012 and is one of the most important awards in the road field.

The project constitutes a new strategic programme on road safety for Latin America and Caribbean. The project enables to develop a detailed diagnosis on mobility conditions in these countries, and subsequently to establish a program with recommendations in order to decrease the accident rate in the area. According to data from the Pan-American Healthy Organisation, around 130,000 persons are killed every year in Latin America and the Caribbean while more than 1.2 million results injured and hundreds of thousands are disabled as a result of traffic accidents. In addition to social damage, these accidents represent a serious economic problem, meaning a 4.5% loss of the GDP in some countries.

With the aim of improving these figures, the project, developed by IDB and SRA, covers 26 countries in the region, analysing all the factors involved in road accidents: human factor, vehicle, user and infrastructure, urban and rural contexts, also considering the institutional and legal framework. The conclusions of the data collection and analysis have allowed the preparation of an action program and the development of the on-line guide for road safety, with the support of Polytechnic University of Valencia.

This is an interactive publication available on line in IDB website (www.iadb.org/es). The guide includes a program to identify the problems and provide solutions in different fields of road safety. It is a useful toolkit for the development of strategies with the objective of improving minimum safety standards required in roads, evaluating the features and defining the actions to increase safety levels. The guide also includes measures to improve road safety considering the human factor and vehicles, in addition to the institutional and legal framework. The Road Safety Strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean has been trialled in different countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • SaferAfrica Project discusses Data Collection in Africa at workshop event
    July 9, 2018
    Members of the consortium of the EU-funded SaferAfrica project met in Athens on 24-27 April 2018 to discuss advancements and to present first results to the management board. IRF (Geneva) is a member of the consortium and shared its experience on data collection during the dedicated workshop held jointly with the management board. Representatives from the African Development Bank, UNECA, SSATP/World Bank, FIA, WHO, IRTAD, RU and PIARC were also present to address the issue of data in Africa and the specific
  • Angolan project wins IRF Construction Methodology Award
    June 14, 2012
    Engineering firm Exergia completes vital communication route using innovative construction methodology. The devastation caused by a 35-year armed conflict has led to a high state of degradation of Angola’s network of roads and bridges, presenting a significant impediment to the country’s recovery. In 2002, the Government of Angola created an extensive rehabilitation and reconstruction program of the road system. As part of this program, the rehabilitation of National Highway 120, the main road linking
  • Costa Rica highway project on track
    December 10, 2014
    Construction of the Interamericana Norte highway in Costa Rica is said to be proceeding on track. Work is being carried out on the 50km Canas-Liberia section of the project. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) says that studies for the Canas-Limonal stretch of the new highway have been completed. The studies will then have to be submitted before the country's road authority Conavi to commence the tender process. A contract is expected to be granted by the middle of 2015. Funding could be provi
  • IRF organises 27th Road Safety Week in India
    March 8, 2016
    As part of the 27th road safety week, IRF organised a two-day seminar in New Delhi (January 14th -15th) to raise political awareness about, and support for, initiatives to improve road safety The seminar with the theme “Road Safety – Time for Action” was chaired by Sanjay Mitra, Secretary Road Transport and Highways (RTH), of the Government of India. K K Kapila, chairman IRF – GPC, highlighted recent IRF initiatives (black spot removal, training of drivers to provide first aid to accident victims at acci