What is KiwiRAP?

KiwiRAP is the New Zealand Road Assessment Programme. It is part of the International Road Assessment Programme, otherwise known as iRAP. Similar road assessment programmes have been implemented in Europe (EuroRAP), Australia (AusRAP) the United States of America (usRAP), South Africa and Malaysia.

iRAP is a not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with government and non-government organisations in 60 countries to investigate road networks. From its findings, iRAP recommends design improvements that need to be implemented in order to ultimately save lives and reduce the number of serious injuries on the world's roads. Globally each year, 1.3 million people die in road crashes and up to 50 million people are seriously injured.

KiwiRAP is a sister programme to ANCAP, the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme which assigns Star Ratings to vehicles based upon the protection they provide to occupants.

The objectives of KiwiRAP are:

to reduce deaths and injuries on New Zealand's roads by systematically assessing risk and identifying safety shortcomings that can be addressed with practical road improvement measures
to have risk assessment as a key factor in strategic decisions on road improvements, crash protection and standards of road management
to provide meaningful information on where the greatest levels of risk are faced, and in turn to influence behaviour.