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

  • US$96mn motorway expansion works in Costa Rica
    May 25, 2012
    FCC Construccion Costa Rica has started expansion works on the Canas - Liberia stretch of the country’s Interamericana Norte motorway. The work includes increasing the number of lanes on the road to four and the creation of a bicycle lane. The US$96million project is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (BID).
  • IRF India promotes road safety education in India to reduce casualties
    February 6, 2018
    Road safety education is an important ingredient in improving road safety, reducing accidents, and fatalities from these accidents. IRF India had been focusing on promoting road safety education in India. As part of its efforts, IRF India has focused on road safety education for both adults and children. For adults, IRF India has produced a series of eight films to promote safe behaviour. These films cover cover topics such as the need to use seat belts, drinking and driving, use of mobile phones while
  • Need for defined work zone safety regulations
    April 12, 2012
    Christophe Nicodème, ERF's Director General, explores a missing link in the road safety chain Road works are an essential part of the work of public administrations and toll operators; aimed at preserving a safe road infrastructure for users, while minimising the disruption caused as a result of unavoidable traffic interventions. Given the essential role of road works, one would assume that well-defined regulations exist at national and European level to determine the best way of conducting them. Yet
  • The FIA high level panel for road safety pushes the agenda forward
    October 20, 2017
    The steering group of the FIA High Level Panel for Road Safety met on 8 September at the FIA offices in Paris. Susanna Zammataro - IRF executive director and member of the advisory board to the FIA HLP – was part of the group that met up to reflect on the progress achieved thus far and to discuss the work plan of the HLP for the upcoming year. Discussions touched upon included the ongoing progress and establishment of the UN Global Road Safety Fund as well as the role of the panel in building support