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European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) is an international not-for-profit organisation (Associations Sans But Lucratif) registered in Belgium. It operates from Worting House, Basingstoke, Hampshire. In partnership with national motoring organisations and local authorities, EuroRAP assesses roads in Europe to show how well they protect life in the event of a crash. It is a sister programme to EuroNCAP, the European New Car Assessment Programme〔EuroNCAP homepage (http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx)〕 which star rates new cars for safety. In a handful of years, EuroRAP has grown from a 4-country pilot to become a major force for change, with active programmes currently in over 30 countries. EuroRAP's success is now being replicated across the world with Road Assessment Programmes in more than 50 countries spanning Europe, Asia Pacific, North, Central and South America, and Africa. EuroRAP is financially supported by the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society,〔FIA Foundation homepage (http://www.fiafoundation.org/Pages/homepage.aspx)〕 iRAP,〔iRAP homepage (http://www.irap.net)〕 and the European Association of Motor Manufacturers (ACEA).〔ACEA homepage (http://www.acea.be/)〕 Programmes are typically self-finnaced by in-country automobile associations and national governments. Specific projects receive funding from the World Bank,〔World Bank homepage (http://www.worldbank.org/)〕 Global Road Safety Facility,〔Global Road Safety Facility homepage (http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTTRANSPORT/EXTTOPGLOROASAF/0,,menuPK:2582226~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:2582213,00.html)〕 automobile associations, regional development banks, national governments, charities, the motor industry and institutions such as the European Commission. EuroRAP has received two Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards.〔Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards homepage (http://www.roadsafetyawards.com/)〕 The first in 2004 for founding the European programme, and the second in 2009 at the first inter-Ministerial conference on road safety in Moscow, for founding the International Road Assessment Programme iRAP. ==Aims & Philosophy== EuroRAP aims to reduce the likelihood of traffic collisions and make those that do occur survivable. Its formal objectives are to: (1) reduce death and serious injury on Europe's roads through a systematic programme of risk assessment, identifying major safety shortcomings that can be addressed by practical road improvement measures; (2) ensure risk assessment lies at the heart of strategic decisions on route improvements, crash protection and standards of route management; and (3) forge partnerships between those responsible for a safe road system - motoring organisations, vehicle manufacturers and road authorities. EuroRAP's vision is for a Europe free of high risk roads and supports the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2012-2020.〔UN Decade of Action (http://www.roadsafetyfund.org/TagSymbol/Pages/default.aspx)〕 EuroRAP subscribes to a safe system approach to road safety – 5 star drivers in 5 star cars on 5 star roads and promotes “self-explaining and forgiving” roads.〔(http://hfes-europe.org/books/firstpage2005/5.pdf)〕 Road safety is a combination of drivers behaviour, the safety of the vehicle and the safety of the infrastructure. The concept of “self-explaining and forgiving” roads is based on presenting road users with routes that are consistently treated and classes of road that are distinctive. This can improve predictability and avoid hidden surprises which in turn can encourage road users to adopt behaviour well suited to the road, reducing the often small errors that can lead to fatal consequences. Self-explaining design seeks to understand better the features which help drivers navigate the road network and, not least, choose the right speed. The safety of road infrastructure can depend on characteristics such as a road’s carriageway width, markings, signing, lighting, road surface and traffic management. It depends on separating fast moving streams of traffic and the provision of features which prevent high energy collisions, such as roadside barriers. The detailing of speed limits and other regulations (e.g. prohibiting overtaking at blind bends) must be fully fit for purpose. Purpose-built motorways are designed from the outset to be self-explaining. The challenge is far greater on existing lower class roads where there may be pedestrians and cyclists in the traffic mix, as well as frequent accesses and development at the roadside. Examples of self-explaining and forgiving designs include: * speed limit reviews, particularly the use of buffer zones which introduce gradual slowing of vehicles as users move from the rural to the more built-up areas of the network; * markings, such as improvements to centre and edge lining and the use of hatched areas to warn against dangerous overtaking; * resurfacing, particularly the use of high-friction anti-skid treatments at junctions and on bends; * signing, including vehicle activated signs to warn of approaching hazards, interactive speed signs and clearer direction signs to guide users around the network. Recent research has revealed the substantial economic returns achievable by upgrading existing infrastructure and ensuring that simple safety features such as safe roadsides and safe junction layouts are implemented on busy roads. Authorities following good practice should systematically assess possible road safety schemes for effectiveness in reducing crash numbers and find all those that represent a good investment return and responsible use of public money. The value of engineering measures is commonly expressed in terms of a “first year rate of return”, where the value of crash savings up to one year after the introduction of measures is compared with the cost of the treatment. In the UK for example, first year rates of return of 500% have been documented〔(http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/news/2011/5/20/simple-measures-save-lives.aspx)〕 - in other words, the value of the crash savings achieved from the implementation of measures outweighed the costs five times over in a single year. These returns may only be the tip of the iceberg. Every year Britain suffers serious injury crash costs alone of £0.5 billion on motorways, £1 billion on national trunk roads and £2.5 billion on local authority A roads. Across the whole network, road crashes are estimated to cost up to £30 billion (2.3% of GDP) annually. Safety engineering improvements are typically low cost and last decades. Affordable investment to improve signing and lining and marry protection standards to the speed limit of the road can protect users from harm for 20 years, with nothing more than routine maintenance. Properly evaluated over the life of the measures, the returns from investment in safe road infrastructure are now difficult to ignore at a time when good investment decisions are demanded to promote economic growth and the nation’s social well-being. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「EuroRAP」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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